Fix you
by IrishLove24
Summary: The Winter Soldier had never felt anything. He had never received compassion, gentleness, or love. Not until HYDRA kidnaps and imprisons the young daughter of Tony Stark. She was a beautiful light in the darkness. He wasn't so lost when she was around. HYDRA needed leverage. The way to get to a man is weakness, and weakness often comes from the heart. EDITED/PLEASE REREAD
1. Chapter 1

**This story has been in my head for a while now, so I thought I would try it out while I am still inspired! It's going to be a Bucky Winter Soldier/OC. She is going to be Tony Starks daughter! Please read and let me know what you think. I am excited to hear your opinions! I love reviews, so please feel free to keep them coming or PM me! I get so excited when I hear from people.**

When people talk about him, he hears the title Winter Soldier. He doesn't have a name. When they refer to him, it is as their asset. He doesn't care to have a name. Weapons don't have names. Weapons don't care what people yell and beg. Weapons don't care about anything but the mission at hand. Helping HYDRA save the world. There could only be order through pain. The Winter Soldier had seen a lot of pain.

He hasn't strayed from the role of weapon in many years. He used to forget. Used to forget that he was a weapon. HYDRA always corrects this behavior. These lessons were always painful. He is never hungry, thirsty, or tired. He doesn't feel pain anymore. Nothing distracts him. The man inside of him had nearly been destroyed. He didn't think about what he wanted. Weapons don't need to think of anything beyond the quickest and easiest way to fulfill their mission.

It was night. He had traded the goggles he normally wears for eye paint to prevent the glare from the sun setting. He wears a vest, that revealed his shining, strong medal arm.

Alexander Pierce sits in front of the Asset. His stare was completely blank, waiting to be told what to do. What his mission was. He couldn't bring himself to feel regret or fear. He has been wiped to many times for that, had his identity stripped away. He had become the perfect soldier. Completing missions quickly, effectively, and leaving no witnesses. Not asking any questions or allowing morals to get in the way.

"You have one target. Level 6." Pierce showed the asset a picture. "Tony Stark. Should be easy enough to find. You're best shot is to hit the mansion at night. If he is unsuspecting, he won't have the suit. You'll have backup just in case he tries something funny."

"Are you sure about this?" Rumlow asked. The man sounded concerned. "Stark is a big target. It'll bring a lot of attention were we might not want it-"

"He has become a threat. A large one." Pierce said, turning his attention back to the weapon in front of him. "Stark should be alone. Only two other people who have access is Pepper Potts, who's supposed to be in New York for Christmas, and his daughter."

Pierce threw a file down in front of the asset. It had the three individual's information on it. A slim women with orange hair. She looked tall and thin. But not strong. Pepper Potts, Female, late 30's. Completely uninteresting. Not a threat. He turned to the next file.

Marina Marie Stark, Female, 20, Mother Unknown. Her picture showed dark reddish brown hair with big innocent looking brown eyes. This girl was significantly shorter than the other women. He could tell by simply comparing the two pictures of the women. But he could tell she was strong. The way she stood had that elegance about her. She has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and works for her father. Weakness: Poor eyesight. But, at the bottom of the file red letters spelled DANGEROUS.

Pierce saw what he was staring at.

"She's small. Never shown anything publicly but we have reason to believe she has enhanced genetics. Nothing is confirmed, but we suspect she's special. A telepathic power of sorts. But she isn't physically strong. Keep her distracted and she shouldn't be threat either."

The Asset nodded.

"Remember. Inform us immediately if anyone besides Stark is there. She could be useful if taken alive."

The Asset nodded again.

The device his handler gave him was meant to disable the security system for a few hours. Enough time to get in, do what he needed, and get out. He found the power generator quickly, strapping the device into the wiring. The device clicked and came to life, indicating that it had worked.

When they reached the mansion, the Asset split from the other hydra agents. They had to orders to assist him only if necessary. HYDRA wanted this to be as quick and quiet as possible. The sooner he finished, the sooner they would freeze him back up again.

He keeps to the shadows as he makes his way through the house. This place was a complete maze. It could take him up to an hour to clear the entire house. The rooms were furnished with expensive looking items. The asset would never understand why someone would need such things.

He was about to open the last bedroom door, when he heard someone moving on the other side. He gripped the door with his metal arm, slowly turning the nob. What he found inside surprised him. It wasn't Tony Stark. Instead of the form of the small man in the bed, he found the form of an even smaller female.

Marina.

She laid on top of the white sheets, curled on her side. She was cuddling a large pillow. The girl had her long red hair pushed back in a headband, the waves spread out on a pillow framing her peaceful face like a halo. She was a little pale thing, like she hadn't seen the sun in months, breath coming from parted pink lips. The girl was wearing an oversized graphic t-shirt that reached her mid-thigh with the words Star Wars printed across the chest. Her small legs were covered partially by black socks that reached half way up her calf. Her large black framed glasses were set at an odd angle. It looked like she hadn't meant to fall asleep.

The Asset had never seen anything so… _innocent_ looking. He was used to women screaming and running when he was in the same space as him. Not sleeping without a care in the world. When was the last time he had even seen a women? Especially one this young. He couldn't remember. It didn't matter. The girl was his mission now. Tony Stark was nowhere to be found.

He remembered Pierces words from earlier, exiting the room immediately. He activated the communication device he was given, contacting Pierce immediately.

"Mission report." Pierce commanded.

"Starks not here. The girl is." He responded in Russian.

"How unfortunate." He sighed. "I suppose we can turn this table in our favor. Take the girl. Bring her back to base alive."

"Understood."

"Bring her unharmed." Pierce added. "As in one piece as you can manage.

"Understood." The line went dead.

The Asset was about to reenter the room when he heard shuffling. This would be much easier and less painful if he could sneak up on her, but it seemed like fate didn't want to make this easy for him. The Asset once again hid in the shadows.

"Daddy?" A voice like wind chimes called out in the dark. It was sweet. Not like the usual harsh voices The Winter Soldier was used to.

She had heard the familiar thumps of doors opening and closing.

She hurried down the hallway, eager to see if her father was home. She had been meaning to surprise him for the New Year. She was playing with the frayed hem of her t-shirt, sliding through the hallways happily.

"Daddy?" She called out. She was searching the dark for her father.

Tony Stark was many things. Genius. Rich. Sarcastic. Womanizer. Her father definitely had his flaws. The press had no problem exploiting all of these things. And the fact that he was Iron Man. But she didn't pay them any mind.

Tony Stark adored his daughter. Sure, he didn't show it in the way that most parents would. But she understood that. He was overprotective and strict, but didn't hesitate to spoil her. Because of these things, Marina didn't have much of a social life. People always tried to use her for the money they knew her father had.

Marina had been an accident as far as she knew. Her father had her young, at the ripe age of twenty two. Sometimes she felt like more of a parent to him. When she lived at home she would nurse his hangovers and help him into bed when he had too much to drink. She wouldn't trade his silly smiles for the world.

"It's Nina!" She called out again. "I came home to surprise you!"

She was met with only silence.

"Jarvis?"

"Yes Miss Marina?" The familiar voice called. His loud automated voice echoed through the empty halls of the house.

"Is my dad home?" She asked.

"Mr. Stark is not on the premises." The AI responded.

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

"Mr. Stark did not say when he would be returning."

Marina sighed. Slowly making her way back to her room, she was lost in thought about how she could surprise her father if she ended up sleeping through his arrival. He was always so unpredictable. She had talked to him before she left and he had said he was going to be staying in for the night! He probably left to socialize with-

 _Wait._ She thought to herself, eyebrows furrowing. If her father wasn't here, who had been opening and closing the doors earlier? Pepper was out of town and she knew her father wouldn't hesitate to make his presence known.

That's when she felt it. The prickling on the back of her neck, like electricity causing her skin to tingle. Like she was being watched. Marina froze immediately at the realization. Her eyes darted around trying to locate the threat.

"Jarvis?" She whispered. This couldn't be happening. Her father had one of the best security systems in the country. It was arguable more secure than the United States firewall. There was no way some one could have over ridden it. Her brain had switched from excited to anxiously analyzing the situation. She knew someone could theoretically override the system if they went to the source of the power. They would have had to observe the mansion for weeks in order for that to become evident.

"Yes Miss Marina?" The voice responded automatically.

"Is there anyone else in the house?" She said quietly. There was a long pause.

"It would seem there has been a security override. I cannot access the cameras." The voice replied just as calmly.

Dread filled her stomach. Something _was_ wrong.

"Call my father." She whispered. Marina knew she had to make a break for it. If she could make it to her room and lock the door, she could buy enough time for her father to come and save her. She took a deep breath. She was Tony Stark's daughter. She wasn't some defenseless child. She could do this.

And Marina ran. As fast as her little legs could carry her. She heard whoever was in the house behind her move into action as soon as she began her sprint. He was fast, she could hear his footsteps approaching her quickly. Much to quickly for a normal pace.

 _Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Don't turn around._ She thought to herself. Her father told her that only slows you down.

As soon as she made it to her room, Marina slammed the door shut. She locked and bolted it shut. It was a heavy duty door, designed in case of an attack on the home. Marina scrambled into the corner by the bed, so she was hidden from view. What was she going to do? She couldn't hide and cower forever. She snatched her phone from the end table, relieved to see that Jarvis could get her father on the phone.

It was ringing.

"Please answer. Please, please, please." She was whimpering. If her father didn't answer he would have no idea what had happened to her. Whoever this was, was obviously skilled. He had beaten out Tony Stark's security system. This in itself was a victory alone. Jarvis had nearly no flaws. Tonight of all nights her father had chosen to go out. It was just her luck.

"Marina! I was just about to call, I wanted to fly you home for the New Year! I know you busy in college but-"

"Dad!" She interrupted. "I'm home already-"

"Home already?" He said. "Why didn't you say so! I'll get a car and be there in 20-"

"Dad!" She said again, more urgently this time. She could hear the heavy footsteps nearing the door. "Someone is in the house."

"That's impossible. The security-"

"Jarvis said its out." She whispered. "He's right outside the door."

"It's okay Marina." He said. She wasn't really listening. Not anymore. Panic had begun to take over. Whoever was here was standing right outside her door. "Strapped under your bed. There's a gun. Grab it." She did, clicking the safety off. "That doors locks should hold him off, but if it doesn't don't hesitate. I'll suit up. Be there before you know it. Don't worry-"

At those words, the door was ripped off its hinges. Marina had allowed the phone to clatter to the ground. The man was frightening. She didn't need to be any closer to know that much. Danger was something that was oozing off of him. He stood in the center of her doorway, blocking all means of escape.

He had tossed her door like it weighed less than a pillow. The man was tall, muscled, and horribly intimidating. His face was covered by a black mask and a pair of strange looking glasses. He was dressed in all black. Guns strapped to various parts of his body. His long brown hair was shaggy, long, and hanging to his shoulders. Marinas eyes widened when she was his arm. One was entirely made of metal!

This was no simple thief. Someone sent him here. All Marina could do was cower in the corner, legs drawn to her chest. She had dropped her phone. She could barely register her father's voice as the man approached her. Marina was trying to melt into the wall, cringing as he approached.

 _Move Marina_! She thought to herself. She sprung into action quickly, aiming at his chest and firing the gun at him. Her father had paid for lessons, but the man was to quick for her. He deflected the bullets. With his hand. What on this good earth-

He leaned down quickly and gripped her by the back of the neck, hauling her up to her feet. He ripped her head back so she was staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. He seemed to be looking at her. She couldn't be sure because of the goggles that hid his eyes. But she could feel him analyzing her face. He seemed distracted by something.

 _Concentrate_ , she thought to herself. Her eyes flickered to a bookshelf. If she could concentrate then maybe she could use some of the abilities her father was teaching her to master. She was far from an expert, but a book to the assailants head might give her enough time to run.

As if he could tell what she was doing, he yanked the glasses from her face with his flesh hand and snapped them in half. The grip on the back of her neck seemed to get tighter. She could see him. But that was about it. Her vision was incredibly poor when it came to seeing things far away. Especially at night. She tried pushing away from his chest, but it was like trying to move a brick wall. Impossible.

Without a warning, the man threw her over his shoulder and carried her out of the room. Marina fought him as hard as she could, but when he clamped his metal hand over her thighs and squeezed her hip she knew she was pinned in place. But that didn't stop her from screaming. Maybe _somebody_ would hear her.

She felt the cold winter air nipping at her skin before she knew it. _At least my kidnapper is warm._ Where she lay across his shoulder was burning from the heat of his skin. She was carried through her own backyard, struggling and screaming in an attempt to escape her attacker.

"Ah. You found her!" A voice said. "Put her down. I want to see if there's a family resemblance."

The man dropped her unceremoniously to the ground to allow whoever the voice belonged to get a good look at her. She probably would have collapsed completely if he hadn't gripped her upper arms to support her.

She looked at a man. Also in all black. Something about him caused a knot to form in the pit of her stomach. She could feel the evil emanating off of him in waves. Just the way his voice sounded made her want to cringe and hide. She couldn't make out the details of his face. Marina must have been scrunching her nose trying to see because he took it upon himself to introduce them.

"I'm agent Rumlow." He said, advancing towards her. "I can't say you look like Stark. Much to pretty." He was far too close. She didn't even realize she was backing up until she was pressed against the original kidnapper's chest. He didn't move, just allowed her to cower against him like a concrete wall.

"I wouldn't look to the Asset for much help." He said smiling, his hand gripping her chin. He pulled her forward a few inches in an attempt to prove a point. "It does what I tell it to do."

Who did this guy think he was? She was Marina Stark. Even if she was going to be dragged off in the middle of the night she was going to maintain her pride. She wouldn't allow herself to be man handled and taunted by this asshole. No matter what the situation was. She supposed her bravery made her stupid. But that still didn't stop her from making her next move.

Marina yanked her face out of his grip and bit into his fingers. Hard. She was satisfied when she heard his yelp of pain, but this earned her a slap. Her pain was worth it. Worth them knowing she was going to fight. Worth that outraged look on his face. She was smirking at him.

She could see him rearing back to hit her again. She was stupid. Of course they were going to hit her again. This time she closed her eyes awaiting the impact. This was going to hurt. But no pain ever came.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Rumlows wrist encased tightly in one made of metal. She looked back at the man with the metal arm, shocked. He was the one who had prevented Rumlow from hitting her. He had protected her. He had probably prevented Marina from getting a broken jaw. Why would he do that?

"Soldier. Release me." Rumlow commanded.

"Target is to be brought back unharmed." The man behind her said mechanically. Ah. That's why he helped her.

"Lucky girl. You certainly inherited the Stark spirit, if not his looks." He growled at her. "Take her."

 **Let me know what you think! Please favorite, review, and follow!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This story has been in my head for a while now, so I thought I would try it out while I am still inspired! It's going to be a Bucky Winter Soldier/OC. She is going to be Tony Starks daughter. I changed my mind lol! Please read and let me know what you think. I am excited to hear your opinions! If you have any ideas on how you think this story should go or what details I could add, I would love to hear it. Every review means so much to me. I love reviews, so please feel free to keep them coming or PM me! I get so excited when I hear from people.**

Marina's cheek stung. Rumlows hit had been hard and right in the center of her face. That scene in Pretty Women had rung in her head for a moment. They had to pull boys aside in high school to teach them exactly were to hit a women so her entire face felt like it was on fire, just like Julia Roberts character had said. His hand didn't miss its mark.

The Asset, as they had called him, was all but dragging her by the upper arm to an armored Black Vehicle. She could tell he was growing impatient at her stumbling and slow pace. When they had reached the SUV, he had lifted her effortlessly by her upper arms into the back seat.

He gave her a once over, presumably looking for injuries. He gripped her chin to inspect her cheek, watching how she winced when he turned her head to the left. The Asset began to press his fingers against her face to check for a broken cheek bone, and the little thing gasped. He yanked his arm away immediately. He couldn't bring her back anymore damaged than she already was. His mission was to retrieve her unharmed. Even though it wasn't by his hand, he would likely suffer for it.

"No, no it's alright! It doesn't hurt." She said, gesturing to his arm. "It's the metal. It cools the stinging."

He responded by shoving her into the seat and climbing in next to her. Why was she trying to comfort him? She couldn't actually think he was pulling back because he thought he hurt her. Stupid little thing. It was his own desire to avoid pain that had him pulling back. He pulled out a black piece of fabric, tying it in front of her eyes.

"You know that isn't necessary." She said sarcastically. "You snapped by glasses back there."

He said something harsh sounding in Russian and the SUV began to move. To where, she had no idea

Marina had no idea how long the drive was, but she was yanked again from the seat when the car had stopped moving. The cold air had hit the bare skin of her legs. She wished she had chosen more appropriate sleep wear. Luckily the t-shirt was long, and she had decided to wear a bra to bed. She didn't need these sickos prying eyes on her. She had gotten a taste when Rumlow looked at her.

 _This guy could really use some manners._ She thought to herself.

The familiar coolness of the Soldiers metal hand was replaced by two sets of flesh hands that began to guide her to their destination. Once they were indoors, the blindfold was torn from her eyes.

"Miss Stark. Welcome to HYDRA's main operating center." A cold voice greeted at the end of the hallway.

"You." She said squinting her eyes. She knew him. She worked with the man that helped start the Avengers. What was his name? Fury? That sounds right. He was a SHEILD agent. What were SHEILD agents doing in a HYDRA base? It didn't take Marina much brain power to figure it out. "You're a SHEILD agent."

"Alexander Pierce. HYDRA hides within SHIELD. It hasn't taken much to fool those I work with." He was straight forward with her. That was a surprise. How many SHEILD agents were actually working for HYDRA? Had her father known? Unlikely as they had sent these men to dispose of him. Marina had a feeling that her father wasn't fighting for an organization that stood for common good and justice like he had originally thought.

"Well you've wasted your time. My father has told me nothing. I am not going to be any use in unveiling any intelligence." She said cheekily. "Might as well let me go now."

"Fortunately that is not what you're here for." The evil man said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Then what could you possibly want from me?" Marina said. She was young, often under estimated for that fact. But she truly knew nothing. Her father would have never endangered her with knowledge in regards to SHEILD or the Avengers. They must know her father would be far too smart for anything like that.

"You have a degree in Mechanical Engineering." This was a statement. Not a question. Perhaps she could play it off like she didn't know what she was doing. Use the fact that she was only 20 to her advantage. She may still be a prisoner, but at least she wouldn't be helping these _dirt bags_. She inherited her father's outstanding brain and capacity for learning. "As well as a minor in psychoanalysis."

"Yes." She said simply.

"The position for engineer has just recently opened up in our facility." He said simply. Opened up. She knew that this didn't actually mean they simply opened up. Someone had died. Or been killed. Marina had no desire to fill a position that someone had just died in. What could they possibly be building that was killing people off so easily?

"I don't think I would be much help. I am young, inexperienced." She tried to reason. "Surely you could find someone with more experience to assist you-"

"Don't play dumb, my dear." He interrupted, his irritation evident now. "It doesn't suit a Stark. We know your genius surpasses men twice your age. The subject you'll be working on is…temperamental."

"Temperamental…" She repeated, waiting for an explanation.

"Yes." He said. "Snapped the last two mechanics wrists. The two before that weren't so lucky." With a smile, he was gesturing for the two agents holding her upper arms to follow him. Marina was once again stumbling after men who were much taller than her, being pulled forward. She was trying to memorize the building as best as she could. But it only proven to be a confusing maze, one she would never be able to figure out without her glasses on. She could tell the walls were made of stone, no windows. They were probably underground somewhere.

They shoved her through the door frame.

The man that had originally taken her from her home was sitting tin the center of the room. The one with the metal arm. Only now he didn't have his mask on. His eyes were cold and empty, staring at the wall in front of him with no emotion on his face.

He was handsome.

She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. Probably used his pretty face to lull his victims into a false sense of security. He had a strong jaw, soft lips, and pale skin. His hair was the same, loose and hanging in front of his face. It was his eyes that caught her attention. The bluest she think she's ever seen. They were large and bright in color, but he lacked any emotion. His eyebrows furrowed and his lips set in a frown. He looked confused.

Marina almost felt pity for him. _Almost._

She had no idea how much blood this man actually had on his hands. She shouldn't pity him. He probably was incapable of even feeling that emotion. But she couldn't deny that she felt infinitely safer with him, than any of these other thugs she has come across since arriving.

"His arm gets twitchy after we wipe him." Pierce said

"His arm?!" She exclaimed. That's what they wanted? "I have no idea how to fix that! I haven't seen anything like that in any of my experience. I am more likely to make the problem worse than to fix it!"

The man's arm was something far more advanced than anything she had ever seen. The metal perfectly resembled the flesh arm. The plates mimicked the stretching of tendons and the flexing of muscle. She could fry the entire circuit board with one wrong move.

"You're a brilliant girl, Stark." He snapped. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"And if I don't 'figure it out'?" She asked, face drawn into a scowl.

He raised an eyebrow at her, dragging his eyes from her face, to her bare legs, to her socked feet. "You chose interesting apparel Miss Stark."

"What does that mean-"

She was interrupted by him leaning down merely inches from her face. "It means that every time you refuse to work I will take a piece of it away from you. Since you don't have much to begin with, I would suggest not failing. You're surrounded by men who would give a month's pay to have an hour with you. But they are ordered not to harm you. You are under my protection and the Winter Soldiers as of now. But that doesn't mean I can't humiliate you."

Her jaw dropped. That is not something she saw coming. The threat hung in the air. If she didn't prove she was useful, they would get rid of her. She imagined it would be rather unpleasant.

"You understand then?" He asked. She nodded once. "Good. You should find everything you need here. Fix the arm. We'll come retrieve you when you finish."

The room was medium sized, with equipment that Marina doesn't think she'd ever seen before. There was medical supplies, as well as tools that she supposed were used for his arm. This room must have been made especially for him then. There was a large machine in the center. One she had never seen before. There were metal straps for someone's arms to fit through that appeared to be hooked up to some metal device that goes around the skull.

"In the chair Soldier." Pierce commanded. The man complied, leaning back and allowing the technicians to strap him into the device. He parted his lips, and they placed what looked like a mouth guard inside.

"What are you doing to him?" She whispered. Marina received no response. Pierce merely nodded at the technicians, who pulled a lever activating the machine.

She watched in horror as electrical currents began to pass through the man's skull. She could see the blue light running through his body. The Soldier was grunting in pain. Marina felt incredibly guilty at that moment. Guilty for the thoughts she had about him earlier. Guilty that she could do nothing but watch this unfold. This man was even more of a victim than she. They were scrambling his brain like eggs in the morning.

Marina's legs moved on their own accord. She couldn't kill a spider. Never mind sit idly and watch a man be tortured in front of her very eyes. But the agents behind her anticipated her movements, yanking her back beside them. All she could do is watch.

She felt a tear slip down her cheek as she listen to his screams of pain.

It couldn't have ended fast enough. By the time the horrific procedure was finished, he was panting with a light sheen of sweat over his body.

"Fix him." Pierce said once more. He gestured for the HYDRA agents to exit after him, locking the door behind them.

She was in the room alone. Unprotected. With a trained assassin. Who had just been brutally tortured.

 _This needs to be handled with no small amount of tact,_ she thought to herself.

The man didn't even glance up at she approached him, his dead eyes remained on the wall. This only made her more nervous. It was like approaching a wounded animal. You wanted to help, but knew it would most likely lash out at you. This man could snap her in half if he decided he did want to lash out. Even sitting in the chair he was taller than her.

She found herself wanting to help him. Marina couldn't turn away from someone who needed her help. She wanted to fix him. It was the least she could do. He was the reason she didn't have a broken nose or worse.

Marina started by prying the metal restraints open. She figured the flesh hand would be the safest to start with. When he didn't react she reached across his body to unlatch the metal arm. Her close proximity and leaning over his body must have triggered a self-defense reaction and before Marina realized he was moving, his eyes had snapped to her and his hand held her wrist in a painful grip. He held her in place, not allowing her to lean over him.

Marina winced. Two engineers with broken wrists didn't seem so surprising now. If this had been his metal arm, she was sure he would have torn her arm right off.

Marina kept eye contact with his shockingly blue eyes and slowly laid her hand over the one around her wrist. She gently ran her fingers across his knuckles in soothing circles. Struggling against him would only lead to more violence. She took enough psychology classes to know that.

"Let me help you." She said. Quiet but firm. Marina watched the deliberation in his eyes. He was probably so used to people hurting him. He hadn't any idea what goodness or kindness was. She was disgusted by these HYDRA agents. He released her arm after about a minute. She gently massaged her wrist. He was _very_ strong.

Once she had freed his other arm from its confinement, she began working to free his head from the torture device. She wasn't tall enough to teach from simply standing next to him, so she had to kneel up on the edge to gain access to the metal. Marina roughly pushed it away, shocked to see the electrical burns on his temple.

"Open your mouth." He did. She took the mouth guard and tossed it on the table next to her. She began to climb off the chair. She looked up at him through long eyelashes and said "My name is Marina Stark."

No response. He just continued to stare at her with cold, calculating eyes.

"I'm going to fix you right up." She continued, flitting across the room. She gathered some medical supplies as well to treat the burns on his head. She gestured to his metal arm and asked, "May I?"

No response again. But when she moved to begin her work he tensed, but he didn't snap her wrist like a twig. A good sign she supposed. Marina began to silently tinker away at his arm, picking up the mechanics of it quickly.

The Soldier didn't allow his surprise to show. Is that what he felt? Surprise. Her voice had been gentle. Not harsh and commanding. Her touch was soothing. The little things hair was so long it was tickling his flesh hand as she worked. He was slightly less tense than usual. The girl was dressed oddly as well. Nothing but a long t-shirt and a long pair of socks, not anything close to being suited for a lab. She had slid the metal panel back into place before he had even finished fully examining her.

"There." She said. "It should work good as new."

She must have done it wrong. The Solider was confused at why it didn't hurt when she fixed his arm. It always hurt when the other mechanics did it.

She watched him test it, flexing his fingers with a confused look on his face. She grabbed the burn cream and began to crawl back onto the chair, so she could reach his head. When his cold eyes snapped to her, she paused immediately.

"The burns." She said holding up the cream for him to see. "This will help with the pain and so that they don't get infected."

He didn't move. She seemed to have thought of everything The little target was odd. He had taken her from her home against her will, yet she was still trying to help him. There was no way anything could be that pure. The Winter Soldier didn't understand.

"What?" She said rolling her eyes, irritation lacing her tone. "Do you think I'm going to try and kill you with a little antiseptic?"

He didn't need medicine to make sure that his head didn't become infected. But her irritation was perplexing. It didn't make sense. After years of being a trained killer, he had little problem discovering peoples motives. But he couldn't understand goodness. Or gentleness. He was sure what allowing her to have her way would do. But he was interested in what she planned, so he decided to allow her to continue her ministrations.

Marina dipped her finger in the cream and slowly allowed her hand to move up to his temple. She gently rubbed the cream into the burn. Marina could see the soldier lean into her hand. It was just barley, the tiniest tilt of the head. The smallest sign that it was helping him. When she finished, she smiled warmly at him.

"There you go." She whispered. Marina began to wiggle down off the chair again when the doors opened.

The Soldier tensed as new people entered the room, Pierce at the front.

"Take the Asset to be briefed on his next mission." He told two agents. Turning to the last, he said, "Take the girl to were the Soldier sleeps."

With that, she was being dragged through the hallways again.

Alexander Pierce watched the girl care for the soldier over the security cameras. Her compassion was a weakness. One he knew he could easily exploit. She wouldn't be able to watch a man in pain and not help them. Even her own kidnapper. It was amusing really. He could hear the door slide open.

His plan was going to work perfectly. Taking the girl was the perfect distraction. The Avengers would be focusing on locating her. They wouldn't have the time to meddle with Project Insight or consider HYDRA's takeover of SHEILD. It would be finished before they even knew it. Even though the Asset couldn't take out Tony Stark, they still got the next best thing.

He had picked the perfect subject. He knew it wouldn't take much time for the Asset to become attached. This would be the first women he's been in contact with that he hasn't been ordered to kill or hasn't tried to hurt him. Marina Starks overall _goodness_ was well known. He knew Sargent Barnes had a younger sister about the Stark girls age. He had left her in that room in her night wear to amp up her nonthreatening appearance. She was a pretty thing, with her big brown doe eyes. But young. He hoped her age would keep any chance of romantic feelings at bay. Looking at her now though, he wasn't so sure. She really was a pretty thing. Pierce found himself wondering who the mother was.

Her genius would be invaluable. If Pierce could get her to reveal her powers, perhaps she could be of even more use to him.

Agent Rumlow had come to stand behind him, watching the screen as well. He watch as the Soldier released the girl and how she fussed over him. Both Rumlow and Pierce were surprised at how easily the Soldier had accepted her help. It probably had something to do with her small frame and innocent attire. She didn't look like a threat.

"Why the girl?" Rumlow asked. "We have plenty of engineers we could have assigned the Soldier. Ones that wouldn't stir up any trouble. There's something else."

"Do you know who the Winter Soldier was during the 1940s?" Pierce asked.

"Yes." Rumlow said. "He was friends with Rogers since they were kids."

"Exactly." Pierce said. "HYDRA is going to take over SHIELD. We need to start taking out those who would stand in our way. Captain Rogers is one of those people. Tony Stark is one of those people. The Asset is our best killer. He is the only one who would be able to take out either of those targets. I have a feeling. The soldier is going to remember Rogers. If he remembers he'll have no reason to remain loyal."

"What does this have to do with the girl?" Rumlow asked.

"She's insurance." He said with a smile.

"Insurance?"

"The Winter Soldier has no weakness." Pierce explained, then nodded towards the screen. "So we create one. Can you imagine what it'll do to Tony Stark? To find out his precious little girl is being held by the man who murdered his parents? I have a plan."

Pierce knew it was twisted. But order comes through pain.


	3. Chapter 3

**This story has been in my head for a while now, so I thought I would try it out while I am still inspired! It's going to be a Bucky Winter Soldier/OC. She is going to be Tony Starks daughter. I changed my mind lol! Please read and let me know what you think. I am excited to hear your opinions! If you have any ideas on how you think this story should go or what details I could add, I would love to hear it. Every review means so much to me. I love reviews, so please feel free to keep them coming or PM me! I get so excited when I hear from people.**

It didn't take long for the maze of hallways to lead to Marina's room.

It wasn't awful. She had been expecting to have to sleep on the marble floor, but the room had slightly exceeded her expectations. They weren't very high to begin with however. Still no windows, but there was a bed with a blanket and pillow.

"We took the liberty of grabbing some things for you." Rumlow replied from behind her.

She wasn't going to respond to him. This was the type of man to get a kick out of antagonizing his prisoners. She simply walked over to the bag and searched through its contents. Rumlow left her to her musings. Toothbrush, notebook and pen, clean socks, and underwear. Basic essentials.

"You couldn't have grabbed me a pair of pants?" She mumbled to herself. It looked like a change of clothes had purposefully been avoided. Marina decided to open the small dresser in the room, finding men's t-shirts and cargo pants. The pants would be too large, but at least she would be able to wear a clean shirt.

Wait…Men's clothes? She thought back to what Pierce had said when the agents had taken her away. He said to take her to the soldier's room. They couldn't mean to keep her locked in the same room as him? He was erratic at best, and he wouldn't react well to having to share is person space with another person. This was most likely his sanctuary. Where he wasn't bothered by anyone else.

Running her fingers through her hair, she gripped the red locks in frustration as she sat on the edge of the bed. What on earth was she going to do? HYDRA was going to force her to share a room with a trained assassin who has been shown to have a violent streak…

How was she going to survive this? She leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes and allowing the tears to fall. Her father has escaped worse. He managed to build an Iron Man suit in captivity. She had his genes.

Marina was exhausted. In every sense of the term. She felt physical exhaustion. The kind that could be fixed by a good night's rest. Physical exhaustion is nothing any college student couldn't sort through. It was the mental exhaustion that was weighing on her. The kind that leaves your mind slow, that makes your body tired and exhausts your spirit. If she was going to make it out of here, she was going to need her wits about her. She wouldn't allow HYDRA to take her spark of life, the spark that tells her to keep fighting them at every turn.

She must have fallen asleep, because when her prison's door opened she was both mentally and physically exhausted. Her brain tried to come to life, but was still trying to cling to the edge of sleep. She barely had the strength to open her eye lids. She heard voices, some faint around her in a language that she didn't understand. Sounded like Russian. The sound was causing her head to ache. Her skull was pounding, like every cell in her brain was threatening to explode at any moment.

Her eyes snapped open when she was being hauled to her feet by the upper arm.

"Your presence is required." Rumlow said.

Too tired to protest, she allowed herself to be guided down the hallways, back to the room with that torture device in it. Men with guns were standing outside, and yelling can be heard from within the room. Pierce was standing outside the door, looking as annoyed as ever.

"He won't let anyone touch him." Pierce said, looking irritably down at Marina. "We wanted to try one last thing, before we take the next step."

Marina could fight. This was true. But she there was no way she was anywhere near as good as a master assassin. She had been very careful to cover any special abilities, so she knew that wasn't what she was brought here for. He was strong, there was no way she would be able to subdue him.

"What do you want me to do?" Marina asked, eyebrows furrowing together.

"Calm him down." He said simply.

She peered inside the room. The Soldier was surrounded, guns and Tasers aimed at him. He was managing to avoid them, she could hear the bones crunching and snapping from outside the door.

"I can't do that!" She exclaimed. "He'll snap me in half!"

"Oh no." Pierce said, opening the door while shaking his head and smiling. "He likes you. He may break a bone, but at least we won't have to injure him. Agents! Out. Leave Stark with the Soldier."

The Soldier could practically taste the anxiety the agents were giving off. He could see the fear in their eyes, how they analyzed his every move. They looked at him like a tiger that was about to pounce on his prey. Like a rubber band that could snap at any moment. Even with all the weapons pointed at him, they were afraid of him. He knew that they would never shoot to kill. They needed him and his skill set. He would kill all of them before one could get close enough to sedate him.

His brain was burning. The man whose shield he caught sent flashes of memory throughout his brain. But with memories, come pain. Pain that left him disoriented and confused. But even in this state, he could tear apart every person in this room. He would deflect all the bullets with his left arm, perhaps using one of the bodies as a human shield. He didn't want any of these doctors or mechanics touching him.

They hurt him.

He heard Pierces voice from outside the room. Commanding him to let someone named Stark into the room.

They hadn't wiped her from his memory yet. He could remember the small girl working on his arm and rubbing cream into the burns on his head. She was gentle. They had thrown her into the room, so she was on her knee's still dressed in the shirt he had taken her in. Her long hair was mussed, covering her shoulders in long auburn waves. Her brown eyes wide, looking at his shaking form and clenched fists.

Still innocent and pure.

"I need you to calm down." She whispered, eyes frantically jumping back to were the agents had exited the room. "They'll hurt you if you don't."

It sounded like she was concerned for him. But it was like he didn't hear her words. His breathing was still erratic, his face scrunching in pain. He was looking at the door behind her, at the threat. Was this some kind of sick way to torture him more? Did they want him to kill her? His thoughts were flying through his brain faster then he could keep track of them.

"It's okay.." She said gently. Her small voice had drawn his attention. She raised her arm and stretched it out for him, palm facing up. She wanted to show him she wasn't a threat. He looked at her with those same haunted, empty, blue eyes. He looked like he was in a daze. "I'm not like them."

When he was able to focus on her face, he approached her slowly. He looked at her hand, than to her face. Marina offered him a reassuring smile. His metal arm reached out for her hand, hesitating slightly before his fingers ghosted over her palm. She had winced slightly when his hand came for her, but relaxed when he seemed to be accepting her.

She wasn't afraid. Not of him. Marina could tell he was used to abuse. He had been nothing but gentle, _well as gentle as he could be_ , with her. Even when he kidnapped her from her home, he had prevented that foul man from hurting her. He deserved her respect. Marina had a knack for finding the good in people.

"Are you hurt?" She asked.

Her response was being grabbed by the forearms and hauled to her feet. His grip was painfully tight, but she prevented herself from crying out. She didn't have time to protest, before he plopped her in the chair he had been sitting in shoving his metal hand in her face. The mechanical tools she used the day before were deposited in her lap. He unclenched his fist so she could see the dent that had been made on his mission. The metal on the palm of his hand had a line running through it. _Right to the point_ , she thought to herself.

She was surprised. He was willingly showing her where he was hurt. He wanted her to fix him. Marina supposed this was a start. He wasn't breaking her bones or crushing her skull.

"Looks like you caught something heavy." She said. Marina was surprised when she actually got a nod in response. "We match!" She said, trying to make conversation with him. She opened her own fist to show a scar running across her palm. "My dad was teaching me to ride a bike when I fell. Cut open my hand! I don't really remember much of it, only that it hurt like hell."

He didn't respond. His eyes just flicked from her palm back to his. "Anyway.." She mumbled, seeing that she wasn't getting anywhere with small talk. To fill the silence, she began to hum. Gentle and quiet, as she began to gently pop out the dents. It wasn't a hard fix, so it didn't take long.

He was confused by how comfortable she was with his metal arm. She didn't flinch when he touched her with it. This hand could crush steel, but she didn't flinch when he touched her dainty arms. He was trying to take special care to be gentle.

He found himself preferring something for the first time in as long as he could remember. The Winter Soldier preferred the little things hands on him as opposed to the others. She didn't cause unnecessary pain to watch him fight for control or make comments to infuriate him. She wanted to fix the pain. She even noticed the burns the machine had left on his head and treated them.

"Done." She whispered, interrupting his thoughts. She turned his hand over to show him. She smiled gently, moving to put the tools back in the tray.

But his metal hand closed around her wrist. His grip was tight, but not uncomfortable. Her eyes snapped up to his. He said nothing as his flesh hand pressed something smooth and round into her hand. Her eyes flickered down, confused.

The burn cream.

"Does your head still hurt?" She asked. He nodded, his face pulled into his normal scowl. Marina scooted closer and unscrewed the cream, taking some on her thumb. She could smell him. Like gunpowder and leather. It suited him. When she reached up for his face, he tensed. "May I?" She requested.

He nodded, eyes glued to her lap. She tucked his chin length hair behind his ear and gently applied the cream to his head. His shoulders sagged a little, from what she could only imagine as relief.

"I'm sorry this happened to you." She whispered.

The door opened then. Agents with guns drawn and aimed at the Soldier entered the room. Machine guns aimed at him in case he decided he was still having an episode. Marina could see the tension in his shoulders increase, his hands clenching into fists. He had shifted slightly. He was directly in front of her now.

"Good work Stark." Pierce said. He turned to a man next to him. "Take the girl back to his room."

The agent looked nervous, as he had to walk around the Winter Soldier to get close enough to Marina to grab her. The agent gripped her upper arm, began to drag her off the chair, and out from behind the Soldier. Her gasp of pain was quiet. Whenever she was taken somewhere, she was grabbed in the same place. Her upper arms. She could feel the bruises forming from the repeated abuse.

To her surprise, the Winter Soldier grabbed the man's arm and easily snapped his wrist. He mumbled something in Russian, before dropping the man to the ground. Marina could hear the electrical buzz of a Taser, as well as see the Soldier tensing for a fight.

She wasn't going to let them hurt him. Not on her account. She couldn't deny how afraid she was. He snapped that man's wrist without so much as blinking. There was no regret or remorse in his eyes. She couldn't stand the violence. She also was afraid that if he acted up, they would put him back in that chair.

Marina jumped in between the Soldier and the loaded guns without a second thought. The Soldiers breathing was labored and his entire body was tense. They were going to start his PTSD up all over again. The guns being pointed at him was going to trigger a response that would cause him to snap again.

"Stop! Please!" She yelled. "Don't point those at him. Can't you tell it only makes things worse?"

"What would you suggest then Miss Stark?" Pierce said cocking his head. "I'm not going to let you walk these halls unattended. You'd try to escape. Or get hopelessly lost in the process."

"Let him take me then." She gestured to the man behind her. "If it's all the same to you. It'll cause the least amount of fuss."

"Fine." Pierce said. "Soldier. Take the girl back to your living quarters. Stay there until someone comes to retrieve you."

"Understood." His voice said. This was the first time Marina had heard the Winter Soldier speak English. His voice was quiet and gruff, like it was used every often. But it had almost a soothing quality to it. He guided her out the door by her shoulder, careful to avoid the bruises on her upper arms.

 **Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the support so far! Please leave your ideas or what you want to see in the reviews! I need somemore inspiration.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This story has been in my head for a while now, so I thought I would try it out while I am still inspired! It's going to be a Bucky Winter Soldier/OC. She is going to be Tony Starks daughter. I changed my mind lol! Please read and let me know what you think. I am excited to hear your opinions! If you have any ideas on how you think this story should go or what details I could add, I would love to hear it. Every review means so much to me. I love reviews, so please feel free to keep them coming or PM me! I get so excited when I hear from people.**

"Where did Captain America learn to steal a car?" The Black Widow asked. Natasha Romanof and Steve Rogers were just crossing the New Jersey State line. Both had been lost in their grief. Someone had assassinated Nick Fury. Something that both Avengers thought to be impossible. SHEILD had been compromised by HYDRA. That was the only thing that was certain at this point.

"Nazi Germany." Steve deadpanned. "And we're borrowing it, take your feet off the dash." Steve's serious tone had made Natasha smile. She had done much worse things than put her feet on the dash of a stolen car, but his morals were sweet she supposed.

"Alright. I have a question for you." Natasha mused. "Of which you don't have to answer. I feel like if you don't answer it though, you're kind of answering it, you know?" She loved to make fun of him. Steve Rogers could face the a hundred Germans and not flinch, but would cower in the face of a pretty women.

"What?" Steve asked, interrupting her before she could poke fun at him any further.

"Was that your first kiss since 1945?" The smile tugging at the corners of her lips hinted that she was indeed making fun of him.

"That bad huh?" Steve's serious expression caused Natasha to begin to back track.

"I was just wondering how much practice you've had!" She replied innocently. Steve had been actively avoiding dating, so of course it would be logical to assume that he wasn't kissing anybody. She had truly meant her comment as a joke.

"You don't need practice." He awkwardly replied.

"Everybody needs practice!" Natasha insisted.

"It wasn't my first kiss since 1945." Steve replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm 95, I'm not dead."

"Hold that thought." Steve responded, confused. Steve fished around in his pocket, pulling out his cellphone. "Tony's calling…"

"What are you doing with your phone on?!" Natasha yelled, trying to snatch it from him. Steve grabbed her wrist and stilled her. "Rule number one in going dark is no cellphones! None! Or you turn it off at least! They'll be able to track us!"

"I did turn the phone off.." Steve said confused. "Hello?"

"Rogers." Tony Starks voice answered.

"Listen Tony, we have a bit of a problem-"

"A bit of a problem?" Tony said sarcastically. "We have a huge problem. Let me tell you about my problem! My little girl was taken from my home! Kidnapped. I have no idea where she is."

"Marina was taken?" Steve exclaimed. "By who?"

"Don't you think if I knew I would be out there looking for her?" Tony snapped. Steve could hear him take a breath, most likely trying to regain his composure. Tony sighed, "I need help, Cap."

Steve had come to know Marina well, she had spent time in the Avengers tower with Steve and the others when she wasn't in school. She was a bright, happy girl that seemed the light up any room like the sun. Always smiling and laughing. She didn't look much like Tony, besides her big brown eyes. Many would say that's a good thing. She was as beautiful as she was intelligent. Like her father, she often spending time in the lab building the Avengers newest toys. Most of all Marina was young. Far too suffer because of those she spends her time around.

"I'm sorry Tony." Steve sighed. "Fury was killed. SHEILD is compromised. Nat and I are on the run with something. The last thing Fury did before he died was give it to me. This can't be a coincidence…I just don't understand. This man with an arm made of vibranium, solid metal! Shot him right through my apartment window. Tony I-"

"Did you say metal arm?" Tony sputtered.

"Yes.." Steve said. "He was strong… Like me."

"The man who took Nina." Tony said. "His arm was made of metal. Ripped her door right off the hinges. I saw it on the security tapes. Jarvis was only able to show them to me after I fixed the security system. He had a metal arm with a red and black-"

"Star on the shoulder." Steve finished. Now they were getting somewhere. It was obvious that it was the same man. Or at least they worked for the same organization. The descriptions were far too similar.

"Yes! Exactly." Tony exclaimed.

"This isn't a coincidence." Steve responded. "SHEILD had been compromised. But I don't understand. Why did they take Marina? She's smart yes, but they could have taken someone who would have drawn far less attention."

Tony said nothing. This silence led Steve to believe that something wasn't as it seemed.

"Tony?" Steve said,

"There's no way anyone could know about that…" Stark was talking to himself though. Not to Steve. Tony was hiding something.

"If you want our help, you need to tell us. The truth. I've had enough of everybody's lies." Steve snapped.

"Marina's special." Tony whispered. "I gave her pills I designed to suppress it. I don't even fully understand it myself. When she was young it was little magic tricks, but the older she got the harder it was to control. But it's been kept quiet. Very quiet. I made sure this was kept off of SHEILDS radar."

"I see." Steve replied. "I'll keep you updated with what we learn on our end. I'll send you a location to meet as soon as I can."

 _HYDRA Headquarters_

The Soldier wasn't rough with her. His hands were covered in leather gloves as he pushed her forward towards the room she was being kept in firmly, but at least he wasn't throwing her around like the agents before him did. Marina didn't know how much more her poor arms could take. She had examined the deep purple bruises earlier that day, she couldn't imagine that they were much better.

She peeked back at him. The Soldier stared straight ahead, still with those empty blue eyes. He open the door, waited for her to walk through, then entered behind her. Marina sat on the bed, backing up into the corner and leaning up against the wall. He sat in a small chair in the corner of the room and stared at her.

That sat in silence, simply looking at each other. She had no idea what to do. How was she going to share a room with him?

His own mind was still spinning, turning his attention to the wall. Seeing the tiny girl jump up between him and the agents had surprised him. It was stupid of her really. She couldn't protect him, her head barley reached his chest. But he supposed that's why he didn't like the grimace of pain that flashed across her face when that agent had grabbed her. She was so good. So small. She didn't deserve to be thrown around like a sack of flour.

"What's your name?" She asked, disturbing the silence.

He turned his face up to stare at her again and Marina could tell that he heard and understood her question. He looked like he didn't know how to respond to it. His eyebrows had pulled together, like he was trying to think hard about something. He looked back at the wall without saying a word.

Marina shrugged. "Well, I'm not calling you 'Soldier' and I sure as hell won't call you The Asset. You're a person. Not a possession or a weapon." She supposed he'd tell her eventually, when he was comfortable with it.

"Do you remember my name?" She asked, trying a different tactic. Marina was determined to keep the conversation going. He shook his head. His frustration was clear, as he ran his fingers through his hair. His face was in his hands and he was shaking again. She found herself wanting to comfort him again. "That's alright! Its perfectly fine not to remember. I'm terrible with names also. Don't beat yourself up over it."

He paused. Her voice seemed to distract him from hurting himself. _Perfect! Okay Marina, keep talking._

"I went to school with the same people for years and I could never remember any of their names!" She told him. "It would get incredibly awkward when they would say hello and I wouldn't recognize them at all. Even worse when it would happen a second or third time. My dad is just as bad. Has women over all the time, then forgets their names before they even walk out the door. So no need to worry about it! It's something that happens to everyone!"

He looked at her like she had sprouted a second head, before shaking his head and going back to his self loathing. Was he really so confused by the fact that she wanted to help him? That she didn't like seeing another person suffer like he was? Who knew how long this poor man had been trapped within HYDRA with no affection or kindness. So simple human goodness.

Marina peaked again at the Soldiers metal arm. It looked deadly, and advanced. If the situation had been different she would have loved to poor over it. Study it in the lab with her father. They would have had a field day figuring out how it worked together with Dr. Banner. Thor and Steve would be playing cards in the corner. Natasha and Clint in the gym training for a fight that would always end in a tie. Thinking of her friends made her sad. She had no idea if she would ever see them again.

She knew her father would never stop looking for her. He would search every corner of the globe until he found her. Marina wasn't going to take anything for granted after this. She had never realized how easily so much could be taken away from her. Her life. Her work. Her dreams. She would achieve nothing if she remains imprisoned in HYDRA for the rest of her life.

Marina would rather die before she helped these monsters achieve anything. She knew that every time she fixed the Soldiers arm it was so he would be able to fight again. It was easier to swallow than if she were to be assigned to create something. Creating something would be actively advancing whatever it is their agenda is. By healing the Soldier, she was helping another prisoner of war.

Marina was afraid. She had seen how they treated the Soldier. He was special. Like her. How long would it be before HYDRA discovered she was special also? Before they strapped her in a chair and erased her memories? The pills her father had given her seemed to be working just fine. Maybe the effects were permanent.

A tear was leaking from the corner of her eyes. She was toying with the locket her father had given her for her 18th birthday. Marina forgot that she wasn't alone until boots came into her vision as she stared at the floor. She looked up to see the soldier looking at her, with an emotion close to concern. He probably wasn't used to weeping women.

"I'm okay." She mumbled. "I miss my father. And my friends."

She watch him clench his fist, as he sat down on the far side of the bed.

"Does it hurt?" The Soldier had been watching her out of the corner of his eye, but her question caused confusion. His expression must have been pretty plain to see. The girl scooted closer to him, reaching for his left hand. "When you use your arm?"

He shook his head no. He was stiff when she took his arm into her lap. This was the first response she had gotten since they had been in the room with the machine. It was better than the silent stares Marina was getting used to. It was a little unnerving having his eyes constantly watching her.

The yellow light of the room made her hair a deep red color. Like wine. The curls were unruly, reaching just past her waste, the headband still securing it out of her eyes. He wanted to touch one. Just hold the end of the curl between his fingers. _His real fingers_. The Soldier couldn't remember the last time that he had seen anything that looked so soft. He looked down at her and realized that she was going to freeze. It got cold in DC in the winter and all she had on was an oversized t-shirt.

"Your buddies decided I didn't need pants." She deadpanned, catching his confused look. She shifted so her legs were tucked under her. She noticed how stiff he was. He probably wasn't used to other people being so close to him without hurting him. Her heart ached for him. She promised herself then, she would do her very best to keep him from feeling anymore pain. He deserved that at least. She couldn't control much in her new person hell. But this could give her a new purpose. Marina ran her fingers over the palm of his hand. The metal was smooth and cold under her tiny finders. "Can you feel it?"

He shook his head yes.

Amazing. A prosthetic arm that could actually feel sensation. "It's quite amazing." She said, flipping the hand over. "How did they do it?"

She felt him tense up immediately. Like when she asked what his name was. _Okay, Okay note to self: Do not ask him anything about the past. Doesn't seem to appreciate it at all._ She thought to herself.

"I don't think even my Dad could build something like this. He is an impressive engineer. He built an entire suite of armor in a cave." She continued. She was hoping if she changed the subject that he would relax.

No response, his eyes trained on where their hands were currently joined.

"He taught me to build my first power converter when I was 8. We would spend hours at a time in his workshop, building and testing different inventions." She rambled, "It was no wonder I finished college so quickly. I had learned everything already from my Dad. I guess it was also no wonder why I didn't have many friends. Spent all my time locked up with machines."

Marina rambled to him for what felt like hours. And after a few minutes, he did relax. She told him stories about her dad and the different things she built when she wasn't at school. She was probably boring the poor man to death. But it seemed to keep him distracted and calm. His muscles didn't twitch when she told him stories and he didn't grasp at his head like it was filled with acid.

"My dad got so drunk, I had to use his Iron Man gloves to drag him back to bed when the party was over. He was complete dead weight." She was telling him a story about her favorite birthday. "When he woke up, he had a killer head ache. He gave me my locket on that day. He made it by hand."

Marina popped it open so he could get a look at the picture inside. He peeked over her shoulder. Marina and her father were smiling. It was a picture they had taken the year prior on her birthday with the new cell phone he had gotten her.

To her surprise, The Soldier had taken the piece of metal from her hands. She could see the recognition come over his face almost immediately. The chain dug into her neck as he pulled it closer to examine it, pulling her closer to him as well. He looked at the picture, than at her face.

"It was the best gift I've ever received." She tried to continue the story, to distract from how uncomfortable this position was. She heard him mumbling something quietly. "What'd you say?" She asked, giving him her full attention.

"M-Mina." He mumbled, eyes still glued to the picture inside the locket. His blue eyes looked a little clearer, like he had just remembered something.

"Hmm?" She asked.

"Your name." He whispered roughly. Mina? She guessed that wasn't too far away from Marina. It was kind of cute, especially coming from his mouth... Reminded her of her father's nickname for her. She didn't want to make him feel bad. She could see the light of accomplishment fluttering in his eyes. She couldn't crush it.

"Close enough." She said smiling.

They were getting somewhere. Slowly but surely.

 **Please let me know what you think! Reviews are what makes me motivated to keep going! Huge shout out to Emily88034 for constantly leaving feedback on my story! I really appreciate the support! If anyone has suggestions please let me know!**


	5. Chapter 5

**This story has been in my head for a while now, so I thought I would try it out while I am still inspired! It's going to be a Bucky Winter Soldier/OC. She is going to be Tony Starks daughter. I changed my mind lol! Please read and let me know what you think. I am excited to hear your opinions! If you have any ideas on how you think this story should go or what details I could add, I would love to hear it. Every review means so much to me. I love reviews, so please feel free to keep them coming or PM me! I get so excited when I hear from people.**

Marina had fallen asleep sitting up. She had been talking to the Soldier, still rambling about whatever popped into her head. He just listened. Sometimes he would even grace her with a glance. Just the slightest indication that he was paying attention to her. She thought it was possible that he was very very misunderstood. He actually seemed to like there conversations. His gaze was full of curiosity and questions, rather than completely void of any sign of life. This was progress.

She was slowly figuring out that the Winter Soldier didn't know much about himself, other than the fact that he was the Winter Soldier. The confused and tormented look in his eyes whenever she had asked him a question about himself was enough to provide that answer. Whatever they did to him in that chair took away his free will. Took away everything from him. He was hollow and empty. The Winter Soldier seemed to be a blank slate. A shell. He thought his only purpose was to follow orders.

She was going to figure out who he used to be. If these cavemen thought they could keep anything digital a secret from her they were sadly mistaken. If she could hack the pentagon's firewall in 10 minutes, this dungeons shouldn't be a problem. Marina would settle for anything. Even a name.

Marina was in awe of him half the time. He was stronger than any man she had ever seen. When she struggled to reach something, instead of grabbing it for her like any normal person would do, he would just hoist her up by the hips so she could grab it herself. Impossibly strong. Stronger and faster than any man would naturally be able to be. He even rivaled Steve in his strength and speed. The way he moved was absolutely captivating. His body was sculpted to be the perfect weapon. Marina found her eyes drawn to him more often than not.

The Soldier also didn't know what emotions were either. He would stare at her, like he wanted to touch her, but wouldn't move from his spot on the bed. She should of guessed he probably hasn't been around a women in years, never mind have one all to himself. It wasn't lust that he stared at her with. It was more curiosity, like he didn't know how to handle her. It inflated her ego, that was for sure. She never had a man want to stare at her all the time. It was slightly unsettling, but she had gotten used to it pretty quickly.

When Marina was jolted awake by the door opening all the pain that she had experienced the day before returned to her full force. She had whimpered in pain when she had tried to shift. When her eyes adjusted all she could see were blurs.

Without her glasses, seeing more than two feet in front of her face had become near impossible. She could tell men with guns were standing in the doorway. There was another blob obscuring the view of the door. She recognized this one though. The Soldier had sat himself in between her and the door, one of Marina's legs extended out next to his.

"Good morning, Princess."

"You could at least learn to knock." She mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She's learning pretty fast that these men don't respect a ladies privacy at all.

"We have a job for you to do, Stark." The voice of Rumlow said. She could tell it was him by the arrogance that dripped from his tone. "You're going with her Soldier."

"Understood." Came his coarse reply. She looked at him stand, and move off to the corner of the room. When he was waiting for his next order or command, he looked so lost. The daze had seemed to clear after she had talked his ear off last night, but looking at him now Marina could see him struggling. He seemed disoriented. The knowledge that something awful had been done to him that cleared out the man he used to be became more and more clear by the second. His blue eyes were completely void when he stood there, scanning their faces and weapons. Analyzing the threat. When he looked at her, she could see the spark of recognition in his eyes. One that had her smiling gently at him.

Marina uncurled herself from her sleeping position, sliding towards the end of the bed. Her feet dangled off the floor, as she began the task of readjusting her hair. The headband had slipped in her sleep, causing her red waves to fall messily into her face. She pulled her fingers through her hair a few times, before moving to place the band back on her head.

She could feel both Rumlow and The Soldiers eyes on her as she made her way towards the door. She despised Rumlow. The man could never leave the room fast enough. Rumlows gaze unnerved her. It wasn't filled with curiosity like the Soldiers was. It was filled with something much more sinister. She could hear his footsteps approaching her while she tore through the knots, but Marina chose to keep her eyes glued to the ground.

"Take that thing out of your hair." Rumlow said, grabbing her chin. She saw The Soldier tensing out of the corner of her eye. "I like it better down."

 _Was this his attempt at being charming?_ He was failing miserably if he was. She hated nothing more than her hair being in her face. They had already taken the ability to see far away when The Soldier had snapped her glasses in half. Who did this guy think he was? Marina wouldn't wear her hair down and obscure the little vision she did have because he "liked it". She wouldn't poor water on this man if he was on fire.

"Good thing I don't care how you like it." She snapped. She grabbed his wrist and threw his hand away from her face like it burned. She made an attempt to get past him and out the door. She knew she wouldn't be so lucky to just slide past him.

"You forget who's in charge, Princess." He growled. Rumlow had gripped her forearm tightly, spinning her around so she had to face him. He scanned her face, taking obvious joy in her discomfort. He traced a finger up her jaw and into hair, toying with a strand before heading towards the object that offended him. He pulled the headband from her hair, snapping the plastic in half with his thumb and forefinger.

She felt an immense amount of anger swell up in her stomach. HYDRA took her freedom. They wouldn't even give her a pair of pants to put on! Now they had the nerve to even control what she did with her hair.

He smiled when she gasped, as the plastic clattered to the floor. Rumlow shoved her towards the door. The sudden movement had caused Marina to trip, but someone caught her arm. There touch was feather light. She had been pushed right into him, but his quick reflexes had allowed him to catch her effortlessly. The Soldier had helped her balance, holding her arm like it was made of glass. He looked down at her, she saw concern in his clear blue eyes.

To the untrained eye, he looked as blank as ever. But she had spent the last few days focused on the tiny flits of emotion that crossed his face. Studied it closely. She recognized this look. The realization caused her lips to quirk up at him, in a grateful smile. The agents behind them cleared his throat, indicating his impatience.

"Go." Rumlow commanded. Gesturing to the door with his gun. The Soldier had pulled her in front of him, his hand resuming its place on her shoulder to gently guide her through the hallways. She noticed that he was careful to avoid her upper arms. Marina, however, didn't notice the anger in The Soldiers eyes. The glare he shot at Rumlow would have made lesser men wet themselves.

Pierces plan was obviously working. The Asset was becoming attached to this tiny girl. Protecting her like a loyal dog. Rumlow thought it was sickening.

"Clean the guns." Rumlow said when they entered a large room. Marina looked around to see that there were dusty weapons littering the place. "There's no ammo in them so don't get any funny ideas. Put them back where you got them when you've finished."

"Fine." Marina coughed.

"Soldier." He said turning his attention. "You stay and watch her. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"Understood." The usual reply. With that the men left the room, leaving the two acquaintances to their thoughts. Marina took a look around. There were many guns. Of all different shapes and sized. In the middle of the room was a rag and cleaner for the guns. She gathered an arm full, placing them on the table before her. The Soldier had taken a seat on the side of the room, brooding in silence as normal. She didn't notice how he stared at her while she worked, her mind had grown used to his eyes.

It seemed like hours passed. Marina had gotten so used to disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling the different weapons that littered the room. She could have done it with her eyes closed. Her small finger flew over the parts, fitting them together, cleaning them, and tossing them into a pile of cleaned weapons. The sooner she finished this the sooner she could be back in bed. Or eating. She didn't have to concentrate on the task at hand any longer. This task was truly an insult to her intelligence

"I have a degree in Mechanical Engineering and they insult me by giving me something a simpleton could do." She mumbled, as she snapped another component in place angrily. The pile of guns that needed to be cleaned didn't seem to be getting smaller, much to Marina's frustration. She heard The Soldier shift when she spoke. Her eyes looked up to see him watching her. He looked almost amused at her angry ramblings.

"You can join me if you like." Gesturing to the pile in front of her. "I know it must take a terrible toll on your concentration to stare at me and say nothing, but something tells me you would be able to multitask."

He said nothing, as usual. Just sat in the chair near her and began to clean his own gun. Her leg leaned up against his knee casually. Maybe she could make conversation. Make the time go by a little faster.

"Has Rumlow always been such an ass?" She wondered out loud. The Soldier paused, looking up at her with an eyebrow raised. "What? A guy can't be born that way! He is completely vile. An absolute cave dweller! He looks at me like I'm a piece of meat and barks orders at you like you're a mindless machine! If I were you I would have snapped his neck with that fancy arm of yours."

The Soldier looked shocked. She was talking to him like they were having a conversation while he still hadn't said one word. He knew he couldn't be that easy to read. He had been trained to carefully hide his emotions. It was necessary in his line of work. This girl was either extremely odd or very very intelligent. Marina took the shocked look on his face in reference to her comment.

"C'mon. Don't tell me you haven't at least thought about it." She said smiling.

The Soldier looked down at his gun and shrugged his shoulders. It was barely noticeable, but still a response. She turned her attention back to her work, sighing when she had to push her hair out of her face _again_.

"Well I don't know how he expects me to be productive at all." She said angrily. "I already can't see without my glasses, now I have to worry about keeping this mess of hair out of my face. What I wouldn't do for a hair tie..."

He looked at her, eyes trailing to where Rumlow had grabbed her. She imagined ugly bruises were beginning to form, like finger prints on her face. The Soldiers fists and jaw clenched, his whole body tensing. His hands moved to his hair, gripping it in frustration.

"You okay?" She whispered. Marina reached out and put her hand on his forearm. He grabbed it with his metal arm, turning her hand over so the palm faced up. His hand ghosted over hers, much like the day before. His breathing had evened out, and he nodded his confirmation that he was fine. Something about the gesture seemed to calm him down, that and her making random conversation with him. "Thank you for helping me. Ya know. After he tossed me at you like a rag doll. You didn't have to."

He turned to her again, but this time his hand slipped to cup her chin. The metal chilled the skin, but soothed the aching bruises. Marina leaned her head into his hand at the relief she felt.

"I'm not like them." He whispered dryly. The Soldier had repeated her words from the day before when she had comforted him. Marina could only smile fondly at him.

 **Please let me know what you think! Reviews are what makes me motivated to keep going! Huge shout out to Emily88034 for constantly leaving feedback on my story! I really appreciate the support! If anyone has suggestions please let me know!**


	6. Chapter 6

**This story has been in my head for a while now, so I thought I would try it out while I am still inspired! It's going to be a Bucky Winter Soldier/OC. She is going to be Tony Starks daughter. I changed my mind lol! Please read and let me know what you think. I am excited to hear your opinions! If you have any ideas on how you think this story should go or what details I could add, I would love to hear it. Every review means so much to me. I love reviews, so please feel free to keep them coming or PM me! I get so excited when I hear from people.**

Rumlow was irritated to say the least. He knew that Pierce had his plan and it seemed to be working all too well. Deprive a man of human contact for 70 years, he'll cling to it when it is given to him. But they didn't only give him human contact. They gave him a pretty girl, who was confined to _his_ room. It was like Pierce was giving him a reward. A pretty little present with red hair and soft looking lips. The Asset was clearly getting attached. It was all but plain to see when he had entered that room.

The girl was curled up behind him fast asleep, while he watched over her like a lap dog. He had walked in as the Soldier was running a finger up her leg, the longing obvious in his eyes. When Rumlow woke her up, she had been completely comfortable until she notice that _he_ was in the room. It didn't bother her at all that she was sleeping under the protection of the man who was ordered to kill her father. He had watched as she tensed up and hid behind the arm of The Asset. Rumlow could see the possessiveness in The Soldiers eyes when he had touched the Stark girl.

Now he was watching them through the camera. He was touching her face with his metal hand. What surprised him more was that she didn't lean away in disgust or fear! The girl was leaning _into_ his touch. Did she know how much blood was on The Assets hands? She couldn't possibly. Rumlow had been incredibly loyal to Pierces cause. He should have been the one rewarded with taking care of her. His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing.

"This is Rumlow."

"Bring the Asset to me." Pierce's voice barked. "Rogers has all but dropped off the map. We need him to find them."

 _Marina & James Pov._

"My favorite color is blue!" She said. "Nothing to light though. Like a deep, navy blue. Like the night's sky. I love the night. Mainly because I don't really like bright things, they hurt my eyes." Marina was rambling again. They had moved back to cleaning after his whispered confession. She knew he wasn't like them, but to hear it from his own lips was reassuring. "What about you?"

He looked up from his work, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on! You have to at prefer one color to another." She insisted. He looked like he was contemplating the question hard. Like she had given him an overly complicated math problem that he simply couldn't grasp. Marina got excited when he open his mouth to speak, but they were only interrupted by an unwelcome voice.

"The Asset is needed" Rumlow announced, walking into the room with the armed guards. He didn't even address the man he was referring to. Rumlow was looking at Marina. The man gestured for the Soldier to follow him out the door. They talked about him like he was a possession. Something that could be owned.

" _He_ has a name." She said through gritted teeth. "Why don't you use it?"

"Weapons don't have names, Stark." Rumlow said, changing his attention to The Soldier. "Pierce is waiting in the blue room. Go." Marina was about to fight him. She was going to yell at him, demand that he be treated like a human. It made her physically ill to see how they treated him like garbage. Her face was probably turning some unholy shade of red in her anger.

She had opened her mouth to argue when a cool hand on her wrist stilled her. She turned in shock, to see that The Soldier had come to silence her.

"Mina." His quiet voice whispered as he shook his head. He didn't want them to hurt her. He had seen what Rumlow was willing to do to her simply because she didn't wear her hair the way he wanted her to. The Soldier wasn't going to allow this innocent little thing to be hurt on his behalf. He would spare her the pain if he could. She was looking at him with sad, pleading eyes. She was worrying for him. How could anyone worry for him?

He squeezed her hand, so gently she could barely feel it, before exiting the room. She stared at the door for what felt like an eternity. Until an arrogant voice interrupted her thoughts. She forgot Rumlow hadn't left yet.

"I know trying to talk to him must be a bore." He said, trying to make conversation. He was insulting the one person that she actually considering a friend. She found that even though there conversations were one sided, she didn't mind speaking with him at all. She found his mannerisms to be endlessly entertaining. The way his eyebrows would pull together or shoot up at something she would say. Marina could tell that he was actually listening to her when she spoke. Like he hung on her every word, waiting for more. It made her feel important.

"Mmmm." Was all Marina replied, leaning her body up against the table. She had gotten herself into enough trouble with her big mouth. Perhaps if she ignored him, he would go away. Steve always told her that if he ignored the bullies in the 1940's they would leave him be. It was when he turned to retaliate he got beat up. She figured she could employ the same strategy.

"I'd be much more fun." Rumlow said, putting his hands on each side of her body. She knew that ignoring him wasn't going to work. He had trapped her between the table and himself. But..Maybe this was her shot. If she could grab a cell phone or some kind of communication device off him she'd be out of here in no time.

"Is that so?" She said, changing her tone. She batted her long lashes at him innocently, letting her hand run down his shirt. Marina wanted to vomit. But this was a necessary evil. She could scrub his touch off her later. She was searching his belt with her eyes for something, anything, with an electronic chip in it. She just needed to keep him distracted long enough.

"I think you'd find my company much more entertaining." He said, smiling down at her. He moved one of his hands to touch her bare leg. He could barely contain the lust in his eyes. _Disgusting_. She thanked the Lord in Heaven above that she found what she was looking for snatching it from his belt, before kneeing him in the crotch with the leg he had been touching.

"I'll have to pass." She said, as he crumbled to the ground in pain. She slide off the table, taking her original seat in the chair. Marina began to clean the guns again, like nothing had happened.

"Pierce won't need you forever, Princess." Rumlow said, while dragging himself up from the ground. "I look forward to when I can ring your pretty little neck."

"Sound like a date to me." She said, flashing him a sarcastic grin. He grumbled to himself before leaving Marina to continue her work.

"Idiot." She said smiling, taking out the cell phone out from under her shirt. All it took was a fake smile. How did these fools manage to grab her in the first place? This would work perfectly. If she could figure out a way to wire a message to her father, her days in this joint would be numbered. She would tell her dad about how The Soldier had helped her. Protected her. Tony Stark was always willing to pay a debt.

 _Pierce POV_

The Soldier entered the blue room, eyes empty as always. He looked around at the dark walls and wondered if this is what Mina meant by her favorite color. He supposed it was nice enough. Pleasing. His attention was drawn to his handler in the middle of the room. He had two folders in his hands.

"We need you to help us track two targets." He said, pushing the paper towards him. "Very dangerous. Level 6. As of right now, we only need your assistance in locating them."

The Soldier looked down at the folders. Captain Steve Rogers. There was something tugging in the back of his mind when he looked at the photo of the large blonde man. Rogers was advanced like him, probably excellent at hiding. But he hadn't been trained like The Soldier had. This should be simple enough. Especially if it was only a location.

"Understood." The Soldier said. He stood to stand but was halted when Pierce raised his hand.

"Soldier, Come here." The Winter Soldier obeyed immediately. He gestured down to his phone that held a visual of Mina. She was working on cleaning the guns, her eyebrows pulled together in concentration. Mina was biting her lip, obviously thinking hard about something. He had picked up those small things.

"You remember." He said, nodding his head towards the phone. It was a statement not a question. "Stark."

"Mina." He whispered, still staring at her face.

"Whatever. Mina. You like Mina?" Pierce asked. Like Mina? He supposed he did. She was opposite of everything he was used to in this place. She was bright and beautiful and warm. She made him feel warm. He had apparently taken too long to respond. "Answer the question. If not I know Rumlow is very interested.."

The Solider nodded his head slowly. He did like her. He didn't like being away from her. He wanted to protect her. And he certainly didn't want Rumlow anywhere near her. He put his hands on her like he had the right to.

"You do well, we'll let her stay with you as long as you want. We won't but you back in cyro. Would you like that?"

He nodded again. But The Soldier was getting suspicious. They hadn't asked him what he would like in all the time he has worked for them. At least as far back as he could remember, which wasn't very long. But he would have Mina. She didn't cause him any pain when she worked on his arm and could calm him down when his head started burning. That was enough for now.

"Good. Now go. The sooner you find them the sooner you can come back." Pierce said, waving his hand.

"Understood."

 _Marina POV_

Once they had brought her back to the room Marina shared with The Soldier, she had begun to work on the cell phone. She had tried simply making a call, but she would have needed a special password. So she had taken it apart, readjusting the necessary parts, before putting it back together.

She had hooked it up to a wire that hung loosely out of the wall, giving her access to most of HYDRAS data. She was still unable to get a signal to call her father, but this was nearly as good. She figured out she was being held in an abandoned bank in the middle of DC. That would explain the thick walls and tight security.

She would need more time to find a way to send a signal out. Marina thought of The Soldier. She had time to search for information on him… It would only take a few clicks of her fingers. Marina searched the Winter Soldier in the data base, quickly breaking through the fire walls and attempted security measures until she found what she was looking for.

It was a picture of him. From the 1940's. His hair was shorter, he was cleanly shaven, and his grin was easy and charming. But he didn't look like he aged a day. How could that be possible? The more she dug, the more she found out. They had experimented on him…Used the serum that they had given Steve. Or at least a modified version. They would freeze him in a chamber between missions, sometimes for years at a time. They even had videos of that torture device, electrocuting his memories away. That's why he didn't remember his name. Anytime he got close, they would simply put his brain in a blender again.

Marina had felt a tear slide down her cheek. It was so unfair. She would find his name. It was the least she could give him. It didn't take long to find a picture of the original documents.

 _Subject Name: James Buchanan Barnes._

James. It suited him, she supposed. Her thoughts were interrupted by the heavy metal door being shoved open. She tossed the phone behind the bed, but was relieved when she saw it was only The Soldier-James she decided she would call him from now on- coming through the door. He had all of his tactical gear on.

He looked tired, but at least it wasn't the usual emptiness she saw behind his eyes. She smiled when he looked at her, scooting over so he could sit on the bed with her. The mattress dipped beneath his weight. Marina had scrambled to his side and began unstrapping the guns and weapons that were attached to his body.

"Where did you go?" She tried asking as she pulled the semiautomatic from off his back. His eyes flitted to her, then back at the wall. "I see. Did you kill someone?"

He shook his head. Marina sighed in relief. She began to tug at the zipper that held the together the leather on his back, when he stilled her hands. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a silver and navy blue ribbon. It was thick, with lace detailing. He put the small item in her hands.

"Ribbon?" She asked confused. It was beautiful and it was very sweet of him to consider her when he was, erm, _out_. His metal hand gently pushed the hair out of her face, then looked pointy down at the ribbon.

"For your hair." He said quietly. He was rewarded with a bright smile when she realized what he had brought it to her for. Marina took the top half of the auburn waves, securing them loosely out of her face with the ribbon. Grabbing ribbon rather than a hair tie gave Marina hope that the man he once was still existed. If he was a mindless killer, he wouldn't have brought her something to tie her hair back with. It was old fashioned, something girls in World War II did to tie back there hair. But it was no less perfect. She thought she imagined it, but she could almost see the corners of his lips turning up.

"I have good news!" She exclaimed. She had nearly forgotten to tell him. Her thoughts were lost in happiness at the thoughtfulness of his gift to her. She watched his eyebrow shoot up. "I may have hacked into HYDRA's main frame. Rumlow really is a fool. I couldn't find much, but I did find your name!"

His eyebrows pulled together again.

"My name?" He whispered.

"James Buchanan Barnes"

 **Please let me know what you think! Reviews are what makes me motivated to keep going!**


	7. Chapter 7

**This story has been in my head for a while now, so I thought I would try it out while I am still inspired! It's going to be a Bucky Winter Soldier/OC. She is going to be Tony Starks daughter. I changed my mind lol! Please read and let me know what you think. I am excited to hear your opinions! If you have any ideas on how you think this story should go or what details I could add, I would love to hear it. Every review means so much to me. I love reviews, so please feel free to keep them coming or PM me! I get so excited when I hear from people.**

When the lights flickered on, Steve and Natasha were confused. The computers in the room had to be at least 20-30 years old. The kind whose giant monitors took up entire rooms. There was no possible way that the small advanced stick filled with data came from this place. It looked like no one had been inside the room in ages. Everything was covered in layer of dust.

"This can't be the data point, this technology is ancient." Natasha said, saying what they were both thinking out loud. It only took her a moment of looking around however, to discover what was out of place. A small drive, hooked up to the larger one. Sleek. The dust around the area had been disturbed. Natasha rolled her eyes, inserting the drive with a small click.

As soon as the drive was inserted, the computer came to life. The data reels began turning, lighting up a room that seemed to go on underground for a mile.

"Initiate System?" an automated voice asked.

"Yes." Natasha typed into the older key board. A humming sound began after. She smirked a little, looking at Steve. She could make a joke out of this, maybe lighten the mood. "Shall we play a game? It's from a movie, that why I-"

"I know. I saw it." Steve said, interrupting her chain of thought. He could already see where she was trying to take the comment. Make fun of him. The screen in front of them began to flicker. Green light seemed to outline the silhouette of a man with glasses. A man that looked vaguely familiar to Steve.

"Rogers. Steven. Born 1918." The accented voice said, shocking both Captain America and the Black Widow. "Romanof. Natalia. Born 1984."

"It's some kind of recording." Natasha said, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"I am not a recording." The computer snapped at her. It sounded like she had offended it. "I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am."

"You know this thing?" She said gesturing to the computer. Steve looked like he was in the middle or a horror movie. His face was scrunched up in confusion as he looked at the picture the computer brought up on the screen.

"Zola was a German scientist who worked for the red skull." Steve said shaking his head with mild disgust. "He's been dead for years."

"First correction. I am Swiss." The computer snapped. "Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body. My mind however, that was worth saving. On 200,000 feet of data banks, you are standing in my brain."

Steve did look around. There was so much information stored in this room. But why? This man had contributed nothing good to the war effort. Zola might have been brilliant, but he was nothing short of evil. But he supposed he was learning quickly in this time period that it was OK to be evil, as long as you were acting under someone who was supposed to be pursuing the greater good. This man was awful. He had tortured Bucky. Steve shivered at the memory. He could still see his best friend strapped to a table, deliriously muttering his own name like it was foreign to him.

"How did you get here?" Steve asked, pulling himself from the memory.

"Invited." He said simply. Steve's head shot towards Natasha. His face said, _explain_.

"It was called Operation Paperclip, after World War II SHEILD recruited German scientists with strategic value." She said. Natasha also looked slightly perplexed. She failed to see how this could possibly be relevant.

"They thought I could help their cause. I also helped my own." Zola said.

"HYDRA died with the Red Skull." Steve insisted.

"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place." Zola snapped back.

"Prove it." Steve responded calmly.

"Accessing achieve. HYDRA was founded on the principle that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize, that if you try and take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war SHEILD was founded, and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew. A beautiful parasite. Inside SHEILD. For 70 years, HYDRA has secretly been feeding crisis, reaping war." The computer said. The computer was playing old video tapes from World War II. Some were videos of Steve himself, taking on the Germans. Some showed pictures of Dr. Zola. Pictures of Peggy and Howard also flashed on the screen. Some images so fast, not even Steve could tell what they were of. "And when history did not cooperate, history was changed."

At the last comment, pictures of the man with the metal arm appeared. Pictures of his arm, of him sitting on top of a roof, riffle in hand. Slowly, the pictures morphed into a house that Steve recognized. It was the residence of Tony Stark. _Marina_. Steve could recognize that hair anywhere. It showed a video of the man with the metal arm hauling her out of the house, tossed over his shoulder like a sack of flower. The video showed Rumlow slapping her, before cutting away.

"You recognize them, no?" The computer said. Steve and Natasha could hear the sadistic glee, as if the man were really standing right before them.

"Where is she?" Steve demanded.

"Doesn't matter now, Captain. She is being well taken care of, I can promise you that." With those words another image popped up on the screen. This image appeared to be streaming live. There she was. Marina was sitting in a small room, on top of the bed looking down at something in her lap. She was still wearing the clothes that they took her in. Her hair was even wilder than usual, falling into her face in uncontrollable curls. When she looked up, Steve gasped.

"Nina…" He said reaching out to touch the screen. She looked awful. She had a dark purple bruise around her eye, the skin split. No doubt this was where Rumlow had hit her. She had more bruises littering the pale skin of her chin and neck, Steve even spotted some peeking out of the sleeves of her t-shirt. It was the look in her eye that really horrified him. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. Her brown eyes were rimmed red, like she had been crying.

"Why?" He whispered. "She's an innocent. Doesn't know anything about SHIELD or the Avengers. What use is she to HYDRA?"

Marina's attention was snapped from whatever she was working on in her lap, the look of fear in her eyes. Her eyes were focused on something off screen. Steve quickly discovered what. The Soldier with the metal arm who had killed Fury. His back was facing the camera, but there was no mistaking the shining metal appendage. He approached her, sitting on the bed next to her. Steve couldn't make out what they were doing, if they were talking. He was horrified when the man reached out to touch her. The man with the metal arm pushed her hair out of her face leaning towards her, before the screen cut to black.

"I didn't think even HYDRA could stoop so low." Steve murmured. He was horrified. The look on Marina's face was burned into his memory. The look of fear. The bruises on her skin. It lead to an awful conclusion.

"That's impossible. SHIELD would have stopped you." Natasha insisted.

"Accidents will happen." A picture of Howard Stark crossed the screen. The video of the man with the metal arm beating Howard to death was next. "HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security, once the purification process is complete HYDRA's new world order shall arise." The voice continued to explain. "We won Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life. A zero sum. Little Marina was a very beautiful girl.. Imagine how her father will feel knowing exactly who has her."

Steve couldn't take anymore. He wouldn't listen to anymore. The very organization he was working for had HYDRA sleeper agents everywhere. He was furthering the very organizations agenda that he fought to destroy. SHIELD had been Hydra the entire time. Dr. Zola was taunting him over this. The last bit about Marina was enough to throw him over the edge. Steve had punched a hole through the computer without batting an eye. The glass crunching under his knuckles was extremely satisfying.

It was silent for about a minute before that accented voice filled the air again.

"As I was saying." Dr. Zola replied sarcastically, from a monitor slightly to the left.

"What's on this drive?" Natasha asked calmly. Her years in the Red Room had taught her how to control her emotions. She would worry over this betrayal later. First she needed to complete the mission.

"Project inside, requires insight." The computer stated, as if it was something so incredibly obvious she was an idiot for asking. "So I wrote an algorithm."

"What kind of Algorithm?" She insisted. "What does it do?"

"The answer to your question is fascinating, unfortunately you shall be to dead to hear it." The computer responded with glee. Natasha took out her phone immediately and true enough a plane was coming in. Before she could react, the security doors were closing. Steve tried to throw his shield to halt to close, but it had been too late. They were locked in.

"Steve we got a bogie. Short range ballistic. 30 seconds tops." She said urgently.

"Who fired it?" He asked slowly.

"SHIELD."

"I'm afraid I've been stalling captain. Admit it. Its better this way. We are both of us out of time." The voice said.

Steve scanned the area, pulling up a metal piece in the floor. He managed to get inside and shield Natasha just as the missiles hit.

 _Marina POV_

 _"_ _James Buchanan Barnes"_ Marina told him his name. He looked confused, rightfully so. He hadn't been called anything close to a name in years. The way he looked made Marina's heart clench. They didn't even give him a name. They dehumanized him so much, they referred to him as an object.

"James." He repeated softly. It was like he was testing the name out.

"Does that sound right?" She asked excitedly.

He nodded his head. Good.

"Do you mind if I call you James?" She asked, pilling the weapons that had been on his person on the dresser.

"Perfect!" She smiled. "It's nice to meet you then James."

He raised his eyebrow at her again, with that questioning look on his face. He found her happiness to be endlessly confusing. Mina was being held captive, in an underground facility, by an infamously evil organization with nothing to do besides worry about her impending death. Hell she was even rooming with a master assassin that could snap her neck with no effort. James had no idea how she remained so happy all the time.

"Do you have a nickname or something?" She questioned. "James seems a bit... stuffy."

He paused. Did he have a nickname? He couldn't remember. Something tugging in the back of his mind told him that he did. That he had always thought James was a stiff name, not meant for him. But no matter how hard he tried to focus, he couldn't bring anything to the front of his mind. So he shrugged, like he normally did when a question frustrated him.

"I can give you one!" She smiled. "If you like."

He scrunched his nose slightly, shrugging again.

"Jimmy."

James entire face scrunched up at the notion.

"Do you not like it?" She asked, sounding slightly discouraged.

He tilted his had towards her. His dislike of the name was apparent from the expression on his face. It looked like he had just sucked on something sour or smelled something foul. But it also made that warmth return to his chest. She was trying to make him happy. He didn't want to spit in her face by shooting down a nickname. he was starting to warm up to him. He didn't want to throw it all away.

She could tell he was contemplating. "Its okay if you don't."

"Fine." He sighed. "But not in front of anyone else."

She beamed at him.

Mina had turned her attention to her hair and fiddling with the ribbon he gave her with a smile on her face. He picked it out, thinking of her when he saw the delicate blue material on his way back from locating his two targets. The silver detail reminded him of the stars. He didn't get to see them often, but when James did he would stare at the sky for hours. It was a funny. A terrible irony. She loved the night sky, as he loved the stars. She looked content with her gift.

"Silver." He mumbled.

"What?" She asked, turning around. Her eyebrows were pulled together, but she still had the ghost of a smile on her face.

"My favorite color." He said simply, seeing how his response had made her face light up. She looked so happy.

But he supposed she wasn't like this all the time. She clung close to his side whenever they left the room, eyeing others suspiciously. James didn't know if this was because she couldn't see very well on her own or if it was because she truly felt safer with him. But Mina only smiled and laughed when they were alone. He must have proven to her that he meant no harm. He never had someone trust him so completely. Had never had something he wanted to call his. He felt warm when she had happily accepted his gift. The ribbon contrasted nicely with her dark red hair and kept it away from her face how she liked. It made him more confident to give her what else he took for her.

He watched her fiddle with it and look at it in the mirror, lost in her own thoughts. He couldn't find the words to describe what he thought of her appearance. It made his chest tighten.

She was happy, the ribbon was something she would cherish because of the thoughtfulness behind the gift. Marina tried not to think of how he came across the ribbon. But she doubted he would actually kill someone to bring her back something so small. Hopefully he just stole it. She wasn't paying attention when something else was shoved into her hands. She looked down at the bindings of a book.

"You brought me a book?" She said, her head turning to look at him. He nodded. "Thank you. I love to read." She flipped the book around in her hands, examining the title. "Romeo and Juliet. Have you read it?" She asked.

He shook his head no.

"You should!" She said. "You can have it before me if you want, you've been locked up here a lot longer than I have been."

He looked at the words on the cover like they hurt his head. Marina was already chiding herself for her stupidity. The words didn't make any sense to him. It was like it was on the tip of his tongue, the very edge of his brain. But right before he would remember, the thoughts would slip away. He concentrated hard for a few minutes, before sighing.

"I can't remember how." His rough voice admitted.

"To read?" She gasped.

"I can read Russian.." He said, looking down at his hands.

"Do you want me to read it to you?" She asked, scooting closer.

He shrugged, still staring at the floor.

"Well it'll be something for us to do besides clean guns, sleep, and eat." She said smiling. "Maybe looking at the words would help you remember how to read also."

She patted the space on the bed next to her. He hesitated, but eventually decided that this was acceptable. They settled sitting shoulder to shoulder against the wall, the book nestled in Marinas lap. She began to read to him.

"Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean..." She began.

Marina had unintentionally moving closer to James the more she read. Partly so he didn't have to crane his neck so far to look at the words. But also partly because he was very warm. He emitted so much heat, she couldn't help but scoot a little closer. It was the middle of winter in DC and they didn't heat the rooms. She was surprised she hadn't froze to death in her t-shirt and socks. She thinks the fact she didn't have hypothermia was thanks to the assassin trying to read over her shoulder.

Mina was the one person he didn't mind being close to. He liked how her voice sounded when she read to him. He liked how her hair smelt, how she let her leg rest against his without flinching. Without fear. Her head had fallen against his shoulder, drawing him from his thoughts.

She had fallen asleep. James felt the corners of his mouth being pulled up at the sight.

 **Please let me know what you think! Reviews are what makes me motivated to keep going!**

 **GilyFlower- Thank you so much for your kind words! I really appreciate you reading my story. Please keep reading and reviewing.**

 **Shika93-Thank you so much for leaving reviews on all of the chapters! I really appreciate all of your time and effort in encouraging my story. Please continue to read and review!**

 **Calliope's Scribe- I am so glad you love this story! Please keep reading and reviewing!**

 **Unajet-Thank you so much for your comment! The WS will deal with Rumlow. It will be worth the wait!**


	8. Chapter 8

**This story has been in my head for a while now, so I thought I would try it out while I am still inspired! It's going to be a Bucky Winter Soldier/OC. She is going to be Tony Starks daughter. I changed my mind lol! Please read and let me know what you think. I am excited to hear your opinions! If you have any ideas on how you think this story should go or what details I could add, I would love to hear it. Every review means so much to me. I love reviews, so please feel free to keep them coming or PM me! I get so excited when I hear from people.**

The Winter Soldier didn't need sleep. He had been trained to go without it for weeks at a time and sleeping left him vulnerable. Sleeping was painful. His head always throbbed after he woke up. His memories were constantly trying to break through into his conscious. Anytime he remembered something or a memory flashed before his eyes, they would wipe him. The pain always brought relief after. But now he didn't want to forget. He had someone who wasn't afraid of him. Needed him.

He had watched Mina sleep all night. The tightness in his chest only grew the more he watched her. He didn't have the words to describe what he felt. Not yet. She slept with no fear of him, curled against his side, with her pink lips parted slightly. He could feel her shivering, trying to press closer to his body to get warm. In her sleep, she had fisted his black t-shirt in one of her small hands while her face rested on his shoulder. One of her bare legs was thrown over his. She needed his body heat to stay warm. She needed him to stay safe. She couldn't see without him. It gave him a purpose besides killing.

He also found her endlessly pleasing to look at. Her skin was smooth and flawless, impossibly so. Pale and soft like silk when he allowed his hand to brush against her cheek or touch the flesh on her thigh. He felt like he shouldn't touch her with his scarred bloodstained hands. But he was selfish, relishing in the feel of her skin anyway. Her eyelashes laid shadows on her cheeks because they were so long. It was her lips that had caught his attention. They were so pink and full. He wanted nothing more than to touch them.

He lets his hand ghost over her face. What could it hurt? She was asleep. He let his thumb brush over her bottom lip, feeling the smooth skin. He expected them to be chapped from the cold, but like the rest of her, her lips were soft and smooth. He had unconsciously leaned his face closer to hers, something in chest tugging him down to her. Their noses were almost brushing when her eyes snapped open.

She looked startled, pushing away from him slightly with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"

He just coughed in response and shrugged. Marina tried to calm herself down, taking slow even breaths. That was very odd. She had almost fallen asleep when his soft voice asked her a question.

"Why did Romeo love Juliet?" He asked.

Hmmm. What should she tell him? A man who has near no grasp over emotions. It would be much simpler to explain to a child, who actually knew what love was like Why did Romeo love Juliet? Even Marina wasn't sure of the answer. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, thinking hard about the question. There was obviously a physical attraction, but Marina would always like to think that it was more than that. That you feel something click in your heart. Like two pieces of a puzzle fitting together.

"It was love at first sight, I suppose." Marina responded after a while shrugging her shoulders. He stared at her with a questioning look on his face. "They looked at each other and they knew. Why do you ask?"

He looked confused and furrowed his eyebrows. James looked like he was going to ask her another question when a sharp pain shot through Marina's skull. It was the kind of pain that had her gripping at her hair, cringing as she rode out the pain. She recognized this pain. When she was young, she would have to miss school because of her crippling headaches. They made her vision go even blurrier than it already was.

"Ah!" She yelped, as another pain ripped through her head. It was like someone was pricking needles all over her skull. She had hid her face in her hands and was pulling at her hair, when felt strong hands puling her at her wrists.

James was looking at her, concern evident in his eyes. He was searching her face for some kind of injury, searching for some way to help her. Had they been putting Mina in the chair and he hadn't noticed?

"Mina?" He whispered. When she didn't respond, he gently grabbed her arms and pulled her closer. Neither of them noticed he had pulled her into his lap. He was busy worrying over Marina and Marina was busy with the pain. James shook her gently, trying to pull her attention away from whatever was going on. Whatever was causing her pain. He tried saying her name louder this time. "Mina!"

"It's just my head." She whispered, as another pain hit. She cringed and turned her face into his shoulder. "I get really bad headaches, my dad gave me pills for them. But I obviously didn't back a bag when I was taken.. What I wouldn't give for some Ibuprofen.."

She bit her lip when the pain shot through her head once again, trying to keep herself from crying out. She could tell it made James uncomfortable to see her in pain. He didn't know what to do or how to comfort her. He wanted to make it stop. She shook, clinging to his shirt with her face buried in his shoulder as she tried to escape the pain.

It only took a few minutes for the pounding to go away. She released her tight grip on him, looking up into his eyes. She sat on the mattress in between his legs. There height difference was apparent, even when they were both sitting. Her head could easily be tucked under his chin.

"Do you have anything to do today?" She asked peering up at him. He shook his head slowly. He hadn't been this close to anyone in years. He was stuck between pushing her away from him and pulling her closer. He felt an uncontrollable possessiveness in his chest, not wanting her to leave the safety of his hold. The tightness in his chest felt better when she was closer to him, her scent chasing off the pounding in his own head. He decided to just sit and allow her to make up her mind. She could move if she wanted, she could stay if she wanted. He didn't touch her with his hands, just leaned back against the wall. Mina looked up at him as if this was perfectly acceptable and perfectly normal.

 _People touch each other, its normal_. He thought to himself.

"You want me to keep reading then?" Mina asked with a small smile. How was she not uncomfortable? She was sitting in the lap of a complete monster. A weapon. A master assassin. He watched her as she picked up the book, holding it up for him to see with a smile on her face. He nodded. He liked how her voice sounded.

"Okay." She said. She read him about half the story. James had pulled one of his knees up to his chest, allowing for the perfect spot for her to lean. Her legs were thrown over his other leg as she read the book to him. When they got to the part about marriage, he had stopped her by pulling the book away from her face.

"Hmm?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

James didn't understand what they were doing. Marriage and affection was something completely lost to him over time. He didn't know much, but he thought he was starting to remember. She could explain it more to.

"What were they doing?" He asked confused.

"You know…" She said, making a small gesture with her hands. Mina looked away, her cheeks turning pink. James noticed how she stiffened up. He grabbed her chin with his metal hand, turning her face to him and raised his eyebrows. The question still in his eyes.

"Playing checkers." She snapped. Mina was getting flustered. It was off because she would always answer his questions the best she could. "What do you think they were doing?"

James continued to stare at her with his eyebrow raised. He was actually confused. Did he not receive any form of affection when he was here? Had he really not kissed anyone in 70 years? That thought was mind blowing.

"You really have no idea do you.." She said, trailing off when she realized he was actually confused. He looked at her, eyebrows still raised, expecting her to continue her explanation. There was no way she was going to explain the birds and the bees to a master assassin. How did he not know what _it_ was? He looked like he was someone who would be a proficient lover. She's sure he would remember if he refreshed his mind, but was far to mortified to continue.

"Well I'm not going to explain it to you." She said, shaking her head.

"Please." He whispered. "I want to understand."

Damn. How could she say no to that? She wanted to help him understand.

"Okay, okay." She said, raising her hands in defeat. Marina sighed. "When people get married they have to consummate their relationship which entails touching. Kissing and stuff."

"That sounds stupid." He replied immediately.

"You wouldn't think so if you tried it." She said laughing, thinking back to how close their faces were when she woke up. He had been inches away, staring at her lips. She recognized the look of a primal hunger, even if he didn't. While she wasn't afraid of James hurting her, she was afraid of something entirely different.

"Still sounds-"

"Well it's how it is!" She interrupted, not wanting to continue that conversation. Not at all. "Now do you want me to keep reading or not?"

He nodded, looking back down to the book.

"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow." Marina continued to read.

They had spent about a week together, their bond slowly forming. She relied on him for most things. Food. Warmth. Entertainment. Protection. The other HYDRA agents left her alone when the muscular assassin was trailing Marinas every move. She could tell he felt a protectiveness over her. They had formed a friendship. Or a mutually beneficial partnership.

He still didn't say much, but he would question her when she said something that confused him. Lurking under his kindness toward her however, she could see he was still a deadly assassin. James had a dangerous temper. He became agitated if she wandered too far away from him, yanking her back and muttering to her in angry Russian. His glare was deadly when other people looked at her for too long.

The hours went on as she read to him. They were comfortable, curled away in their little corner of safety. HYDRA wasn't real when she read him the book. She could imagine herself off somewhere else. Imagine that James was a man she had met in college, who she could start a real life with. Somewhere safe. James had unconsciously tucked her head under his, chin resting against the top of it. He was still looking at the words, completed engrossed in the plot as it came to an end.

"For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo." Marina finished, closing the book in her lap. "What did you think?"

James thought on it for a few minutes, occasionally looking back to Marina. He looked like he was considering what he wanted to say in great detail. Marina smiled. At least this distracts him from whatever is wrong in his head. She saw something light up in his eyes.

"That was sad." He replied finally. Marina realized what he was thinking so hard on. He was trying to remember the emotion he felt. Her heart broke a little more. James had no memories of the emotions he used to feel as a man. Before they hurt him.

"It's supposed to be sad." She said, laughing gently. "It's a tragedy."

It was true. James didn't understand or remember the emotion that made his heart sink. He felt bad for the two young lovers. He had been silently rooting them on, wishing them happiness. When they didn't get the happy ending, James felt his sad. Something he hadn't felt. Not in years. James didn't understand Romeos logic.

"I don't understand." He said finally.

"What don't you understand?" She asked.

"Why he wanted her." James said, his eyebrows furrowed. "It was his own fault she died."

"You've never wanted anything you can't have?" Marina laughed.

"I don't know. No." He couldn't remember. But James didn't think himself a fool enough to desire something so unattainable. "He knew he shouldn't but he took her anyway."

"No, no, no. You are entirely missing the point." Mina said shaking her head. "He didn't just take her. She took him to. They knew what the risks were when they fell in love, but they couldn't stop it. You can't choose who you love. Love is a something your heart controls, not your brain. It isn't logical. Not always."

"It's foolish." James said simply, crinkling his nose.

"Yes." Marina said pausing. "Yes, it is foolish."

He wouldn't understand what it meant to love someone. What it would be like to want what's best for someone, even at the sacrifice of his own happiness. She supposed she would never know that now either. It was more than likely that she was going to rot in this prison. Never to live her life.

"Why are you sad?" He asked, pulling her chin back up to look at him. She hadn't even realized she had become so silent.

"It's a sad story, James. Losing something you love isn't easy." She responded to him, trying to help him understand. He would never understand what she's lost. Her freedom.

"Have you loved?" He asked slowly. She could hear the jealousy burning, thinly veiled by his curiosity. He didn't want to think Mina had cared easily about others, he wanted to think that he was special to her. That this connection they were forming was special. It was selfish, but he couldn't help the possessiveness that bubbled in his chest. If she had been in love, there would be no hole that man could hide in where James wouldn't find him and destroy him.

"No." She scoffed. She didn't have time for love. "Most guys are just interested in my fathers money or getting in my pants. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I am immensely more intelligent than most guys my age. Besides my dad, your the only man I've spent any significant amount of time with."

"Good." He mumbled, unconsciously tightening his hold on her.

 _Steve POV_

Hydra had been hunting them down. They were trying extremely hard to kill him. Because of Natasha's association with him, they were hunting her down also. Nat had been unwaveringly loyal to him since she discovered what was truly going on. Steve suspected she felt like she owed this to him and to herself. Steve hadn't been able to call Tony yet. He needed a safe place to hide. Somewhere unexpected. He couldn't go to any of the Avengers, they were too far away.

They were also likely being targeted. Steve thought of one person that would possibly help them. It was a long shot, but it was worth a try.

He knocked.

Sam Wilson opened the door with a confused look on his face. Steve supposed it must be rather odd to see Captain America knocking on your door uninvited and covered in dirt.

"Hey man." He said confused.

"I'm sorry about this." Steve said as soon as he opened the door. By coming to Sam they had already put him in danger. "We need a place to lay low."

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Natasha added sarcastically.

"Not everyone." Sam responded, stepping aside so the two wounded Avengers could enter his home. He closed the door and locked it immediately, lowering all the blinds in the house. Sam led them to the back bedroom.

"Do you have a phone we can use?" Steve asked.

"Sure, Man." Sam responded, handing him the small cell phone. Steve immediately dialed the number he was thinking of.

"Stark." Steve said, as soon as he heard the dial tone stop "It's Rogers."

"What took you so long to call?" Tony asked, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"We were held up." Steve said, images of the fire and rubble flashing through his mind.

"Held up? By what?" Tony asked. "And why are you calling me from some random number?"

"It's a long story, but HYDRA has put targets on Nat and I's backs." Steve responded. "We're hiding out with one of my jogging buddies from the VA. We ditched our phones when they shot the missiles at us."

"Missiles?!" Tony exclaimed.

"Yes, the missiles. But that's not the point. We figured out what's going on." Steve continued "Well, sorta. HYDRA has taken over SHIELD. Alexander Pierce? The new director, yeah he's their leader. We've been working them the entire time Tony and we never even knew it. They had Fury killed because he began to get in the way of their agenda."

"What would that agenda be?" Tony asked.

"Something having to do with Project Insight. They created 3 new helicarriers. I'm not sure yet what the plan is. There's something else though, Tony." Steve replied.

"What?" Tony said, after a pause.

"We saw a video of Marina-"

"Nina!" Stark interrupted. The questions began to poor out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "Where is she? Is she alright? What are they doing to her? Do you know why their keeping her?"

"Tony.." Steve said slowly, the pain evident in his voice.

"Cap, give it to me straight." Tony said seriously. "I need to hear it."

"Trust me, it might be better if you don't-"

"Tell me." Tony begged. "Please, Cap. I need to know. She's my little girl."

"They have her." Steve responded finally and with a pained sigh. "We saw the video of when they took her. Rumlow… He was a member of my STRIKE team. He hit her. Then it switched to a video of her in a room. She's being kept with The Winter Soldier."

"The Winter Soldier… Does she at least look alright?" Tony asked. Steve could hear his pain over the phone. "Do you know if they're treating her well?"

Steve didn't want to hurt Tony any more than he already was. He didn't want to add to his pain. Steve didn't want to tell tony about the fear in his daughter's eyes or how she looked like she hadn't slept in days. He didn't want to tell him about how the Winter Soldier, the man who killed both of Tony's parents, was caressing her face like she belonged to him. So Steve made a choice.

"She had a few bruises… But other than that she looked okay."

"God.." Tony sighed in relief.

"I have to go, Tony." Steve said. "I'll send you my location so you can meet up with us."

"Thanks, Cap. Keep me updated. I'm heading to DC now.

"Sounds good." Steve hung up.

"You didn't tell him." Natasha accused.

"About what?" Steve replied.

"About what we saw. The Winter Soldier was a little touchy don't you think?" She snapped. "Stark deserves to know. She had more than a few bruises, Marina looked awful."

Natasha didn't understand. She had never loved anyone like Tony loves Marina. It hurts Nat to see Nina in pain. But not like it would hurt Tony. Steve could hardly stomach it himself.

"What good would it do?" Steve snapped. "Telling him his only child was being abused? None. It would just make him worry. The sooner we find her the sooner we can get her out of there."

"Your right." She said sighing. This was one of the few times Steve had seen Nat give up a fight. She looked down. Like something heavy was weighing on her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah.."

 **Please let me know what you think! Reviews are what makes me motivated to keep going!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much for all of the support! I am amazed at all of the reviews and favorites. It means so much to me, I can't even explain it! Please leave me a review, even if it is a short one! I would love to hear anything you have to say! Please leave me something in the reviews that you would want to see happen between Marina and The Winter Soldier! I will feature them in my story! Please ask me any question you have or any suggestions! I am so passionate about this, mainly because of those of you who read and comment on my stories! Please keep the love coming. Thank you.**

"Favorite food?" Marina asked, laying on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. They had been playing this game for hours. Marina asking him a question and him responding. If one could really call it responding. James tried his best to give responses, but they all sounded the same. He didn't know or he didn't care. He wouldn't lie to either and make something up.

James was definitely the silent and brooding type. It look Marina hours sometimes to coax a reaction or answer out of him. Passion for anything only came when he was angry. Marina was surprised at how patient he was with her, always listening even if he had no intention to respond.

"All the same to me." James responded for the third time in a row.

"Come on, James!" Marina said, sitting up. "I know that you have to prefer something! Did you think about your favorite thing to do more?" Marina had asked him If he had any hobbies, she was thankful that she got an 'I'll think about it', rather than killing or torturing people. "Everyone has to prefer something. Whether that is what you wear, how you sleep, what you do, what you look at-"

"I don't understand, Mina." He interrupted, frustrated. She could see the tenseness in his shoulders and how his fists clenched tighter with every second that passed by. She could tell that he didn't know very much about himself.

"What don't you understand?" She responded patiently.

"Why people have favorite things. It's foolish." He said, as if the answer was obvious.

"It's just something that makes you happy, I suppose. Something that makes you feel warm when you see it, taste it, feel it. Even hear it. There is no reason for it other than that you enjoy somethings more than other things."

James seemed to contemplate on this topic. While doing so, Marina examined him while he was thinking. She knew he was handsome, but even more so when he was deep in thought. He was sitting in his normal spot on the bed with his back against the wall. James was dressed in his utility pants and the black wife beater he wore under his leather armor. Marina now sat next to him on her knees.

"You reading." He whispered.

"Hmm?"

"My favorite thing to do." He said. "Listen to you read."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" She said smiling. Even if it was nothing from his past life, at least she was making him feel slightly more human now. The Winter Soldier wasn't allowed to prefer anything. But James could. "Favorite Color?"

He groaned.

"Enough, Mina." James said, putting his face in his hands.

"What?" She said with a cheeky smile.

"You don't know how to be quiet do you?"

Mina shook her head no, with a large grin plastered on her face. He felt his own lips tug up slightly at her lightheartedness. But her mouth worried him. He had seen how she mouthed off to Rumlow. She was lucky he had left her alone so far. That he hadn't done worse than mark up her face. She had very little respect for the rules and those who enforced them in this place. James knew that he could only protect her so much.

They had taken to sitting quietly in each other's company after that, lost in their own thoughts.

Marina felt guilty. She knew her father must be sick with worry. But her captivity didn't seem to be all that bad. She figured it had to do with the fact that she was under the protection of The Winter Soldier. He was an intimidating figure, shadowing her around the bank when she was sent to accomplish tasks. No one dared bother her with the imposing man watching over her.

James was sweet.

Well, sweet to her. His temper was something to be reckoned with, something that could leave a trail of death behind if provoked. She had watched in horror as he nearly tore out the throat out of a man who had gotten to handsy with her. Marina had to beg him to let the man go. Granted, this agent was trying to stick his hands under her oversized t-shirt, but it was still unsettling to see. Sometimes Marina forgot that he was indeed, a coldblooded assassin.

It was so easy to forget. He would come back to their shared space with books for her to read, quietly placing them in her hands and taking his usual spot on the bed. Sometimes he would even pull her into his lap. It was his silent way of asking that she read them to him. Sometimes he would bring her back things to eat, things that he had remembered her rambling to him that she liked. It was endearing how he would remember everything she told him.

He was still overly serious, quiet, and extremely uncomfortable with signs of affection. He allowed her to sit in his lap to read to him, but would become stiff if she moved to touch him any further. She remembered a specific instance where she had moved to tuck a strand of his hair behind his ear because it was tickling her nose, casually and gently. He had gripped her wrist so hard she was sure it would break, fear in his eyes. He was like a frightened dog, who had been abused he now didn't allow anyone to touch him.

She had been here so long, trapped in this windowless room. Slowly suffocating in the dark. She hadn't been able to touch another person in weeks. Marina had been pushed and pulled around, had bruises left on her skin, and James had touched her. But she hadn't felt someone else. Not for what seemed for an age.

Marina was reaching out for his face before she even realized what she was doing. She didn't realize how much she desired to touch someone on her own accord before her hand was already moving. She knew this was probably dangerous, but she didn't really mind. Marina knew he would never really hurt her. His eyes had snapped to her as soon as she started moving, eying her hand suspiciously. He realized her intent quickly, snatching her hand and pulling it back down to her lap.

"Please?" She begged quietly. "Let me."

Marina shifted her thighs on either side of his legs, sitting in his lap. They were nearly pushed entirely flush against one another. She could tell he considered it for a moment, before he pushed her away and onto the bed beside him.

She sighed, standing. Marina had begun to pace the room, deep in thought.

She knew she was probably experiencing Stockholm syndrome. She had an unrivaled desire to be close to him, to touch him. She got nervous when he was too far away. It was pathetic really. But she could see how he needed her to.

Marina had lost track of the time since she was taken prisoner by HYDRA. She knew it was less than a month, but it had to be at least two weeks. Her father must be worried sick about her. She had called him just in time for him to hear her terrified screams as she was carried out of a room against her will. No doubt he figured out how to retrieve the security tapes and seen what had happened to her.

Her heart ached when she thought of her Dad. She missed him. Marina felt something wet trickle down her cheek.

Not long after, she felt his metal fingers grasp the bottom of her chin, pulling her face up to look into his confused stormy eyes. He had stilled her frantic pacing. She could tell he absolutely despised when she was upset, but James had no idea how to comfort a crying women.

"It's nothing." She murmured, putting on her best fake smile, gripping his metal wrist.

"Tell me." He whispered, a quiet but strong demand.

"This place." She whispered.

His eyebrows pulled together.

"I know you probably don't understand." She whispered, looking at the ground. "But I miss the outdoors. I miss the night's sky. I miss the smell of flowers... My dad had a rose bush… I miss my dad. But he was everything to me before all of this happened. I know that he's probably out there worried sick about me." She smiled, feeling a bittersweet sadness in her heart. "But I know he's out there. Looking for me. Trying to find a way to get me out of here, if he hasn't already found one."

At her last words, she felt him tense. Her eyes snapped to him. James looked angry. Furious even. His fists were clenched and his shoulders shaking with barley contained rage. He looked at her with his stormy blue eyes, a fire in them she hadn't seen yet before. A possessive fire. One that she was slightly afraid of. Marina had begun to unconsciously back away from him.

"What's wrong James?" She whispered.

He had begun advancing on her, backing her into a corner quickly. She was frightened. He had never been like this.

She thought to try asking again, her voice shaking this time. "James-"

He interrupted, grabbing her by the upper arms. He lifted her off the ground and slammed her into the wall. Marina's head had cracked back against the wall, causing stars to form behind her eyes. "I won't let you leave."

His voice was harsh and dangerous. But as much as he wanted to disguise it, she could hear the fear.

 **Thank you so much for reading! Please don't forget to review, follow and favorite! Again, let me know if you have any suggestions or if there is anything you want to see! I am going to shout out 5 people who review in my next chapter! Thank you all again!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you so much for all of the support! I am amazed at all of the reviews and favorites. It means so much to me, I can't even explain it! Please leave me a review, even if it is a short one! I would love to hear anything you have to say! Please leave me something in the reviews that you would want to see happen between Marina and The Winter Soldier! I will feature them in my story! Please ask me any question you have or any suggestions! I am so passionate about this, mainly because of those of you who read and comment on my stories! Please keep the love coming. Thank you. I am stuck between two plot points:**

 **1) Having Hydra wipe Mina of her memories. They discover her powers, so they take her memories to try and control her more. She becomes more dependent and attached to James.**

 **2) They wipe him and he forgets her.**

He dropped Marina to the floor quickly after that, clearly infuriated. She had all but crumpled to her hands and knees, grasping the back of her head. She was struggling to form coherent thoughts. She didn't understand. It was truly nothing personal. Not against him anyway. She didn't want to be here any longer. HYDRA was suffocating her, she knew that there had to be a reason. A reason for why they so violently stole her from her home. They couldn't have actually gone through all that trouble to get her, only to force her to clean guns and occasionally fix the Winter Soldiers arm. Marina's true purpose in this place had yet to be determined.

But she would indeed figure it out.

Marina turned her attention to James. He was standing perfectly still, with his back to Marina. His head was cocked slightly to the side, so she knew he knew she was looking at him. That she had turned her attention back to him. The turmoil he felt was swirling in the air around him.

It was so easy to forget. This man had murdered who knows how many people under the order of HYDRA. She had seen him be violent, she just had never expected him to turn that aggression on her. She had witnessed his temper first hand. But when he let her sit in his lap and eagerly listened to her read, she forgot how out of control he probably was. This man barely had a sense of self. It would make sense for him to attach himself to her as these memories start to come out.

He wouldn't hurt her. Not on purpose. Sometimes his grip was to tight, but Marian knew it was because he wasn't paying attention to the use of his own strength. She would often have to place off how she got bruises, because they were often from him. But he would demand to know who gave them to her. She didn't have the heart to tell him.

Marina stood on shaking legs and took a step towards him. There was only a step between them. What could she say? She wouldn't apologize for wishing herself away from this place. She couldn't lie to him and say she was sorry. She would run from her prison the moment she got the chance.

"What is it?" She breathed out carefully.

"Would you run?" He asked, his tone was eerily calm.

"What do you mean?" She asked slowly. She really didn't want to have this conversation.

"From me? If it meant your freedom?" He still hadn't turned to look at her. From his tone, she could tell he was daring her. Daring her to lie to him. He had been a trained assassin for years. The man could probably hear her heart beat quicken in her chest if she lied.

"Yes." She said. She reached out to touch his arm, to comfort him. She wanted to ease his pain.

"Don't." He said angrily, violently shoving her hand away.

Now Marina was angry. What did he expect? Her to rot away forever? _I think the fuck not_. She thought to herself.

"What?" She snapped at him. "Did you think I would want to be stuck here forever? Never to see the outdoors again?" She said gesturing around wildly. "Of course not. I would run from this place."

"Run from me." He snapped back, just as angry. Realization dawned on Marina. He thought she wanted to leave him. While she did want out of her prison, she did not want to leave him behind. She had the overwhelming desire to save this man. She was small and weak, nothing super special to note about her. She knew she would never be able to save him from any great foe. But she could still help him. Save him. Save him from himself.

"No. Not from you." She whispered, walking so she now stood in front of him. "Never from you. None of this is your fault. What they do to you… It's terrible. They made you into this..."

She reached up slowly to touch his face, but was answered by him jerking away angrily.

"You can't blame me for wanting my freedom.." She said, trailing off, trying again to reach out for him. She was met with the same cold reaction. One filled with anger.

"Fine." She snapped, she began to wave her arms around. She probably looked slightly insane as she yelled at him. "But if you had the chance. Would you leave this behind? The killing? Would you run with me?"

He looked down at her and without a moment's hesitation she got her reply. One that immensely surprised her.

"Yes." Came his throaty response.

It took a moment to get over her shock, but when she did Marina felt her grin reach from ear to ear. She quickly threw her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. She could feel him become stiff, but she couldn't bring herself to care. He didn't even return the hug, but she found herself happy just the same.

Until the sound of someone clearing their throat echoed inside the room.

"Hello Princess." Rumlow's voice said. Marina unwillingly unwound her arms from James waist to look at him. She didn't say hello, only stared blankly back at him. "What? Don't I get a hug to?"

"Hello Agent Rumlow." She said simply.

"It's been awhile. Have you missed me?" The man smiled wickedly at her. She felt how James had begun to shake next to her. This wasn't someone he could afford to hurt. They would torture James or worse..

"I want a urinary tract infection more than I want to be around you." She snapped back.

"Ouch." He laughed, turning his attention towards James. "Solider. You're needed."

He was going out on another mission. Marina couldn't help the worry that knotted in her stomach at the sight of him gathering his tactical equipment. If he died, she would be stuck in this prison alone. Without anything to look forward to. Without anyone to help her. She knew whoever he was going after was in more danger than he was. But that didn't stop her from reaching out for him.

Marina had gripped his wrist, pulling him back to her. She reached around her neck, unclasping the locket. She wrapped the chain three times around his metal wrist, before planting a gentle kiss on his metal palm. She smiled at him, a genuine caring grin.

"Bring it back." She said, letting his hand go.

James hesitantly left the room, his eyes lingering on Marina.

"Come on Princess." Rumlow said, grapping her upper arm. "You're going somewhere to."

"Where are we going?" She asked as he guided her down the hallway roughly.

"Don't worry about it." He replied simply.

He had continued to drag her down the mess of hallways, until they reached a room she didn't recognize. It was empty, except for a chair and a television.

"Sit." He commanded, shoving her down into the chair. He hands were behind her back, being handcuffed before she knew it.

"What is this?" She said, struggling slightly. Rumlow gestured towards the television carelessly, as if the answer was completely obvious.

"You're going to watch."

"Watch what?" She said confused.

"You'll see."

The television flicked on. To Marina's confusion she saw James. He was in a car, dressed in his tactical gear. They were taking him somewhere.

Rumlow handed the Winter Soldier his mask and goggles. He finally felt like he was winning. They were going to force the girl to see what he really was. This mission would make her see that he was a weapon. Undeserving of her kindness and affection. He hoped this would cause her to fear him enough that she would stop her acts of compassion and kindness towards him. He was far too comfortable with her already.

Both of his targets were in the same vehicle, headed towards a location that didn't matter to James. The sooner he finished this mission the sooner he could go back to Mina. He grasped the locket she had gave to him. She did care for him. Even though she wanted her freedom. She wanted him to be with her. The Winter Soldier was happy at their stupidity. Being in the same confined space with nowhere to go, made his job especially easy. These were supposed to be level 6 targets? They should know better.

In one quick move, The Winter Soldier had launched himself out the window. He landed with a loud thud ontop of the target's car. He removed the rat first. He had leaked important information to Jame's targets. There were still three people left inside the car. Two were his targets. The third would have to be collateral damage. At this point, he knew too much. He aimed to shoot the red headed women first.

The third man slammed on the breaks, causing the car to some to a sudden halt. James wasn't ready for this. He had flipped off the car, tumbling into the street. He barely registered the pain of his head hitting the pavement. James focused on stopping himself with his metal arm. He shook of the pain quickly, rising slowly to his feet after stopping his momentum.

The Winter Soldier knew all he had to do was wait. The Targets hadn't seen the second HYDRA Vehicle making its way towards them quickly. When the HYDRA vehicle crashed into the targets propelling it forward, James quickly launched himself into the roof of the targets car. The third target attempted to steer the car out of HYDRA's lock on their car. He would have been successful, but James has had plenty of experience with people trying to get away. He ripped the steering wheel straight out of the cars windshield. The Gunshots that were fired at him caused him to retreat slightly.

This may not be as easy as he thought it was going to be. The HYDRA agents near him quickly handed him a missile launcher. His shot was deadly accurate, causing the blonde target to fly off the bridge.

With the man out of range for the moment, The Winter Soldier decided to focus on the women. The HYDRA agents fire had drawn her out, and James sent two missiles her way. The first one had missed, but the second one had caused her to fly off the bridge. James quickly traded his current weapon for an automatic one. He waited to see her running in the distance and quickly end her escape. But before he saw any movement, bullets came from bellow. One hit his goggles, effectively cracking the glass.

She had escaped.

James took cover behind the concrete divider. She had survived. Not only that, but she had hit him. James was lucky she hadn't been a few centimeters off. He was beginning to get irritated. He wanted them to be quick so he could go home.

His newly found determination had him tearing the goggles from his face, tossing them causually aside. He shot up from his position and fired shots down to where the women had been. She had moved to a different location, but he could see her hair. She was fleeing down the street.

"I have her. Find him." The Winter Soldier ordered in Russian. He quickly jumped over the concrete divider and landed with a crouch on top of a car bellow. He wanted revenge. The redhead had temporarily gotten the best of him. If she had been any closer, he would be dead. Mina would be stuck in HYDRA without him. The others would have no chance of taking out the blonde man, but they could at least distract him while he took care of the women.

James relied on his hearing to locate the women. He had followed in the direction she had fled, easily picking up a voice from behind a car across the street. He pulled his little bomb from his belt, allowing the cool metal to slide across the street.

The women attacked as soon as the bomb went off, jumping down on top of him from above. She had kicked the gun from his hand ad was straddling his shoulders before he knew it. James was just able to reach a hand up to block the string she held, preventing her from strangling him. He flipped her off of him, causing her to land on the ground his a pained thud. He had quickly moved for his gun.

He watched as she threw a small disk at him. It sent a jolt of electricity up his metal arm. It had caused his arm to malfunction, dropping the weapon. In one swift movement, he recalibrated his arm.

He watched her run. He lined up his shot, hitting her in the shoulder. He knew that this wasn't enough to kill her, but it would slow her down enough that he could catch her and get rid of her. He was about to deliver the killing blow when the blonde attacked him.

The Winter Soldier quickly figured out that fighting with the man was much more difficult than fighting with the women. He was faster and stronger than any normal man could be. Like James. The man had quickly taken two of his guns from him with his oversized Frisbee.

The Winter Soldier decided the shield needed to go, quite literally tossing it into a parked van. But even without the shield, the man managed to keep up with him. James had thrown a punch at the targets face, only to have it caught in the targets hand.

The man was distracted by something hanging from his wrist. The locket.

"Marina…" The man said with horror lacing his town. The Soldier had tensed considerably when he heard the target say her name. She was his. She didn't like how the target looked at him like he was doing something wrong by holding her locket. "Where is she?!"

James only responded by smashing his head into the Targets face.

The man had managed to gain the upper hand, tossing him over the man's shoulder like his weight was nothing. But James' mask had slipped off in the process. James turned, shooting a deadly glare at the man, whose eyes only widened at seeing him.

"Bucky?" The man called out, like he recognized James. There was a familiar tugging in the back of his mind at the sound of the name. Like he had heard it somewhere before.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" James said with disgust, aiming his gun at the man's had. But the name had been familiar. He could wait for a response to his question…. But James hesistation had cost him, for the red head had sent a missile flying in his direction.

Marina had watched. The entire thing. She could feel the tears dripping down her cheeks.

Her sweet James had killed people.

Was she right when she said that none of this was his fault? She had seen it now with her own eyes.

 **Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all the reviews! I am so happy with how many people are responding to this story. Please leave me some reviews with what you want to see in the next chapter. I decided to hold off on shout outs this chapter. I wanted to give more people a chance to review and get the shoutout!**

 **I did have some people say they think that its weird that she called her father daddy. I think its pretty normal. I would never ever call a sexual partner daddy because it is something I still call my father lol. For me and most of my friends, it is a pretty normal thing to say. I guess it does just add to her innocence though!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you so much for all of the support! I am amazed at all of the reviews and favorites. It means so much to me, I can't even explain it! Please leave me a review, even if it is a short one! I would love to hear anything you have to say! Please leave me something in the reviews that you would want to see happen between Marina and The Winter Soldier! I will feature them in my story! Please ask me any question you have or any suggestions! I am so passionate about this, mainly because of those of you who read and comment on my stories! Please keep the love coming. Thank you. I am still stuck between two plot points. I have edited them and changed them up a little bit:**

 **1) Having Hydra wipe Mina of her memories. They discover her powers, so they take her memories to try and control her more. She becomes more dependent and attached to James. He would be torn between helping her remember and wanting her to forget so she would stay with him.**

 **2) They wipe him and he forgets her. Probably will end up trying to hurt her or kill her**

 **Also! Would you guys be interested in seeing who I based Marina (looks wise) off of? Let me know!**

Alexander Pierce had been watching how The Soldier interacted with the Stark girl over the past few weeks. It was obvious he felt something. He would leer over her when she worked, eyes following her wherever she flitted around the room. If she got more than five feet away from him, he would adjust his position so she was close again. It was all very subtle and unconventional, but Pierces plan was working.

Giving the Solider something pretty and gentle had proved to be working. He was fiercely possessive over the girl, getting angry with her if she strayed too far from him. Pierce could tell that the Solider wanted to keep him happy so the Solider could keep the girl.

The girl made The Soldier more dangerous. But the more dangerous he was, the more efficient he was. The Soldier didn't want to be kept away from her long, so his missions would often take hours rather than days.

"He cares about her." Pierce said out loud, when he heard Rumlow enter the room. Rumlow came to stand beside him, nodding his head. "Good. The plan is working then."

Rumlow grimaced. He knew something wasn't entirely right.

"No." Rumlow said, trailing off. "He cares about her _too_ much. I don't think his feelings or urges are completely innocent or friendly."

They couldn't be. He had seen lust in The Assets eyes as he followed her around during the day. Or when he watched them over the security camera. When the girl was asleep, he would stare at her. Touch her face. It was all unnatural and odd.

"I doubt it." Pierce said chuckling. "He's hardly a man anymore. The Soldier probably doesn't even remember how to feel, never mind lust after that girl. In the end, it doesn't matter to me. She's a way to control him."

"We can hardly control the girl." Rumlow tried to argue. "She's too smart for her own good."

"She cares for him to, yes?" Pierce said, as if the answer was obvious. It wasn't. Rumlow couldn't tell the extent of her feelings. He knew the girl would run from The Soldier the second she got the chance if that meant escaping. But she saw the tenderness in her eyes, the patience when he asked her questions. She wanted to help him.

Rumlow felt slightly bitter. She wouldn't even take a second glance at him when The Soldier was in the room. The Solider was damaged, could never give her anything proper.

"Maybe." He said.

"Have you been watching her closely?" Pierce suddenly questioned.

"Yes." Rumlow confirmed. "No sign of anything unusual. If she is enhanced, she does one hell of a job at hiding it."

"Interesting." Pierce concluded. "We need to push her further than."

"What do you have in mind?"

She was conflicted.

Marina couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight she was forced to watch on the small computer screen. No matter how hard she had tried to look away, she couldn't. She knew what he was. But seeing it firsthand was something entirely different.

She had just watched the man who took care of her for the duration of her time at HYDRA brutally attack and nearly kill two people she has known since she was young. Steve and Natasha… Two people close to home. Steve and Natasha were always hanging around the Avengers tower, talking to her father and having a good time.

Captain Rogers had always been extremely kind to her. Marina had met him when she was sixteen and he had just come out of the ice. The man was in his 90's but barley passed for 25. She knew Steve and her father had differing opinions on many things, but that did not stop him from trying to get to know her personally. She wasn't just Tony Stark's daughter when he spoke to her. She was her own person. And Steve was insistent upon knowing what she liked, not what the press said she liked because of her father.

Marina had known Natasha since she was in Junior High School. Nat had been the one to teach Marina how to defend herself. While Marina knew she would never be as good as the Black Widow, the things that Natasha taught her were invaluable.

She had no idea how James could be two entirely different people. He could be a ruthless killer. Someone with no problem with doing anything it took to kill the target. Marina had lost count of how many innocent people he had killed to get to Steve and Natasha. He blew up a police car for simply getting in his way. He hadn't hesitated for a second.

How could this be the same man who silently pushed books into her hands? The one that always wanted to hear her voice when she read. The one that would listen to his incessant babbling, taking note of things she liked so he could drop them into her lap later one. How could this be the same man who _stole a ribbon_ so she could tie up her hair for Christ's sake? He would pull her into his lap and when he thought she was asleep he would touch her leg or her cheek.

It didn't make any sense.

All she knew for sure was that she pitied him. James was so lost, he couldn't remember how to feel. Couldn't remember the things he liked. He was so used to being used as a killing machine. Marina knew she was the only person to be kind to him in all of his years in HYDRA.

That explained why he was so afraid of her leaving him. He looked at her like she was made of glass. He touched her so lightly. Like she was so innocent and precious, she would crumble and break at any moment. Unless he was angry. Then he would push her around, gripping her so tightly it was painful. But in his eyes, he was the only on aloud to do those things. If he saw another agent getting handsy with her, James would toss them across the room like the weighed nothing.

"Do you see what he really is?" Rumlows voice said from the doorway.

"I saw what you all turned him into." She snapped back, not even sure if she believed it herself anymore. She knew they had showed her this to make her doubt him. Marina hated to admit that it was working.

Her defense of James just seemed to make Rumlow angry. He had stomped across the room and grabbed a fist full of her hair, before Marina even had a chance to flinch. He had nearly yanked her out of the chair, his grip was so forceful.

"Don't you get it girl?" He snapped, his face far too close for her comfort. "How can you possibly try to see the good in him? He would kill you if we ordered him to. He would snap your pretty little neck like a twig or slit your throat. He would kill you in whatever way we ordered him to. It doesn't matter that he's overly fond of you. He would still follow the order. He doesn't deserve your time or affections."

She didn't understand.

"If you want me to hate him, why does HYDRA force me to stay with him?" She questioned venomously.

"That wasn't my call, sweetheart." He responded back, more gently this time. He released his hold on her.

"This isn't his fault." She mumbled, biting her lip in her own confusion.

"You're lying to yourself." He said, guiding her out of the room. "I see the tears, saw how you cringed every time he almost ended one of your friends. You're scared of him now."

So he had watched her watch the entire thing. Saw her weakness. Saw her doubt.

"He's lost." She whispered, as they arrived at her door. Rumlow spun her around, gripping her tightly by the upper arms.

"You can't fix him." He said each word slowly. He was trying to be sweet? This man, who had hurt her, was trying to convince her that James was the dangerous one. That she should be afraid of James, instead of him. He was trying to turn Marina against him. To hurt James.

"You're words are poison." She said quietly.

Rumlow's sympathetic face quickly turned into one of anger. Good. She struck a nerve. Marina absolutely despised this man. He was arrogant and evil. He chose this life. James didn't. That was what made all the difference to her. She watched as his hand reared back, ready to slap her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said.

"And why not princess?" He asked sarcastically, pausing his assault. "Last time I checked you were the prisoner, not me."

"He doesn't like it when people mark up my face." She said innocently. "Stabbed the last guy in the shoulder with a fork during meal time. He's probably in there right now, so you wouldn't have to wait long…"

"Your spirit won't last much longer." He said, shoving her through the door. "Not in this place."

"We'll see."

She sighed in relief when she saw James wasn't there yet. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts. She was lucky she had managed to think on her feet like she did. Marina wasn't sure if James would actually be able to hurt Rumlow, but she knew he would be angry if he came back to find new bruises blooming across her skin.

She didn't know what to do…

She heard the creaking of the door, and she stood from her place on the bed. James stood in the doorway, in all black with weapons attached to almost every part of him. He was alright. He looked tousled and had a bruise from where Steve had punched him in the cheek, but he was fine. She sighed in relief.

He had two things in his hand. One was a book, Beauty and The Beast, she thought it read. They had just finished The Great Gatsby so this item didn't surprise her. They blew through books quickly, often because they stayed up most of the night reading until she fell asleep.

In the other hand, he held something small and delicate looking. Red. He had approached her, placing the book behind them on the bed, before holding out the small item with a slightly embarrassed look on his face.

In his hand, was a small slightly crushed single stemmed rose. He twirled the flower in his fingers a few times before taking her hand in his own and placing the rose in her hands. She curled her palm around the flower, smiling gently to herself. He remembered. He remembered how she had cried about missing her father's rose bush. She put her nose close to the bud, inhaling deeply. Just like she remembered. Sweet smelling, fresh. If she closed her eyes she could almost image herself out of here.

"It's beautiful." She whispered, smelling it again. She could nearly see herself outside on a sunny summer day. She then noticed that his fingers were moving around her neck, reclasping the locket to its original owner. The day had come crashing down on Marina then. She had grasped onto the front of his leather armor and started to cry into his chest. All the worry, fear, and sadness had came crashing down on her. She had almost forgotten the things she had seen earlier that day.

"What?" He asked. His voice was course, like he was exhausted. He pulled her face away from his body so he could tilt her chin up. To look him in the eyes.

"They made me watch." She whispered, as a tear fell down her face.

The thought brought back the memories, fresh like she was still tied to the chair, being forced to watch her friends be beaten. She could feel herself shuddering at the thought. James looked confused. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Watch?"

"You." She said in a whisper. Her voice sounded pitiful. James looked confused, so she clarified for him. "Hurt people."

A dark look swept over his face. She had buried her face back against him. She didn't want to believe it. If she held onto him tight enough, maybe he could chase the memories away. He looked angry. Not at her. At HYDRA. For forcing her to see that side of him. He wanted her to think of him as the man with the books. The man that would protect her and guide her down the hallways because she couldn't see without her glasses. The man that would warm her when she slept at night. The man. Not the weapon.

"They don't matter." He whispered, confused at her sentiment. He only had the desire to protect her. To keep her safe. He couldn't understand her concern for people she didn't know.

"What?" She whimpered, head snapping up. "How can you say that? How can you think they don't matter?"

"They aren't you." He said simply.

"I knew them, James." She admitted. "I watched you nearly kill two of my closest family friends. How could I look at you after that? After-"

"Mina.." He interrupted, stilling her thoughts.

"Don't." She said shaking her head. "What if they order you to kill my father also? He's an Avenger just like Steve and Natasha! Would you do it?"

James had stiffened immediately, looking away from her and at the wall. The immediate change in his posture made Marina freeze. The look on his face had said enough. It was all starting to make sense to her now. HYDRA wouldn't come after her. She was just an insignificant little girl compared to HYDRA and there plans for world domination. Her father however…She started backing away from him.

"Oh my God…The power being cut.. You weren't there for me…That's w-why you were in my house. You were going to kill him!" She accused.

During her musings, he had turned his attention to all the weapons attached to his body. He had begun to remove them quickly, like he was burned by the reminder of what he had almost done. He tried to remove them quickly, so she would see him again. Not the weapon who had nearly killed her friends.

"Yes." He said simply, still no emotion in his eyes.

"How could you kill with no remorse like that? Mindlessly follow what they tell you to do?" She was angry, her little mind firing out questions that he didn't have the time to respond to before she was yelling something else at him.

"I don't know why I did it before-"

"And if they demanded you kill me?" She snapped, the hurt and pain clear in her eyes. "Would you do it? Would you strangle me or shoot me with one of your guns? Or stab me with one of your knives? Would you-"

"Enough!" He snapped, grapping both her wrists in his hands. He had pulled her flush up against him, making her anger all but crumble and effectively silencing her. "Let me finish. I didn't know why I did it before. But I do now."

"What do you mean?" She whimpered, worrying her lip between her teeth.

"For you."

"M-me?" She squeaked, eyebrows pulling together. He pulled them down into the bed, so she was straddling his lap. His hands gripped her hips with such force that she knew she would be bruised later on. She didn't want to be close to him, it distracted her. She couldn't afford to care for him anymore. He had admitted he would hurt people. He gripped her chin, pulling her face up so she would look into his stormy blue eyes.

His gaze had been far away for a few moments, simply staring right through Marina. His gaze had made her a shaking whimpering mess. She was afraid, but not really of him. The fear came from how he made her feel. Like she would be ok with him murdering people, if that meant they could be together. His eyes had swelled with determination, focusing back on her. It looked like something had clicked in his head, like he had decided something.

"I would destroy a thousand cities, kill hundreds of people, do whatever HYDRA asked of me. I would kill your friends and your father a hundred times. If that meant I could keep you. Keep you with me. Safe."

He had pulled her so close, as he said the words. He said them slowly, with a deadly conviction. She could feel his hot breath on her face. Her head was tilted up to look at him, just as his was tilted down to look at hers. His hand ran up her neck, and back into her hair at the base of her skull.

"I would never, ever, forgive you." She whispered, their lips nearly touching.

"Yes you would." He whispered, pulling on her hair, making her arch further into him. "Whether it be immediately or in a year. You'd forgive me."

She only needed to lean in another centimeter and their lips would be locked in a kiss. She could see his desire in his eyes. She felt the same need for him in the pit of her stomach, but she couldn't give into it. Marina knew she wouldn't be able to survive without being near him though.

Marina was sure she must be having some type of mental break. She had thrown her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. James had returned the hug almost immediately, understanding her need to be near him. He had rocked her back and forth as he ran his hands up and down her back in soothing circles. How could she seek comfort from the man who just said he would destroy cities for her? She didn't know. But she was too weak to pull away.

She had no idea how long they laid together. All she knew was that he had fallen asleep. For the first time, in all the time she's known The Winter Soldier, he had fallen asleep. She had laid there in his arms, peacefully. Marinas tears had ran out hours ago. To have fallen asleep, he must have been exhausted from his mission. She peaked up at him and smiled at how innocent and young he looked. His hair had fallen into his eyes and his lips were parted slightly. He was laying on his back on the mattress in the cold room inside the bank.

She reached out slowly, allowing her finger to run over his lip. She wanted to kiss him. Just like she wanted to kiss him when he had held her tightly against him, swearing that he would end an empire to keep her. It was disturbing. But also incredibly sexy.

No. No. No.

She would not think of him like that. She couldn't. Not after what he told her. She eyed the table he had laid out all his weapons on. Marina knew what she should do. Take a gun and end him in his sleep. Before he could hurt anymore people. It was the logical thing to do. She gently pried herself from his grasp, picking up the gun in her hand.

She climbed back on the bed, gun in hand straddling his hips in a daze. She pressed the gun to his forehead and his eyes snapped open.

He looked confused. Almost like he didn't remember where he was or what he was doing. Like he didn't remember what sleeping was like. But clarity quickly washed over him when he realized that Marina was sitting on top of him with a gun pointed to his head.

"Mina…" He whispered, furrowing his eyebrows. He reached out and wiped the tears she didn't even realize she was shedding from her face. The bastard wasn't even afraid of the gun she had pointed towards his skull.

"I have to.." Her voice was weak, shaking. Like she was trying to convince herself of her own words. "You'll kill more people if I don't kill you."

"Many." He agreed, trailing his hand from her cheek down to her hips. He was looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Like he was drinking in every inch of her. He looked peaceful. It confused her.

"Aren't you afraid?" She asked, straightening her arm further. The sudden movement, jolted the gun against his head. Ice blue eyes shot back to brown ones.

"No." He said, sounding impatient. "There are much worse ways I've envisioned dying Marina." She froze. He had said her name. Not his nickname for her. James was distracted, like he hadn't realized his slip. He was playing with one of her long red curls. He looked so resigned to death. Like he would welcome it with open arms if it was delivered by her.

James was looking at her like she was his personal angel of death. She had begun to shake. Harder. She needed to do this. She could save the good man that James Barnes was before anyone found out the crimes that he had committed. If anyone discovered he was The Winter Soldier his good name would be destroyed. This would put them both out of their misery. He would kill countless more if she didn't do this. Her friends. Her father. She needed to do this.

But even though all her logic told her she needed to, she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger.

"I can't.." She whimpered to herself, biting her lip.

"You can. Nothing is easier." His voice was quiet, holding a dangerous edge full of promise. "But know, if you put that gun down and let me live, you will never, ever, escape me. You can cry and you can beg, but you'll _always_ be mine."

His hands snaked back up to her arms. Gently touching the skin. She wanted so badly to lean into his touch, accept his comfort. But she couldn't. She wouldn't.

"Don't." She said, shaking even harder. He didn't listen. "Stop!" She tried more firmly.

She had changed her position. Pointing the gun at his heart now instead. "I'll do it James, I swear. I'll send a bullet straight through your heart."

He grabbed the back of her head yanking her down to him, surprising Marina. They were pressed, chest to chest"Do it."

He reached out and tucked one of her curls behind her ear, hand trailing back to the base of her neck. She was mad. She knew it then. They had stayed in that position for what felt like hours, until Marina had finally decided to give in.

She leaned in, closing her eyes and allowing her lips to gently brush against his. The gun between them was already forgotten. They were warm and soft, just like she had imagined. She had left out a soft moan, which jolted her from her stupor.

Marina had regained her senses for a moment, pulling back to try and look at him, only to have her breath stolen from her again. His hand had woven tightly into her thick red hair, pulling her back to his lips in a deep kiss. It was soft and slow. Only a gentle pressure, like he was afraid of breaking her.

The kiss had started off sweet. But it didn't take long for primal need to take over. His mechanical hand was bruising her, but she couldn't bring herself to mind. His cool fingers slip up the back of her thighs, causing Marina to gasp. He took the invitation to run his tongue against her own. The intensity increased, his mouth bruising hers. His teeth had dragged across her bottom lip and Marina knew it would swell. He had flipped her onto the mattress beneath him in one quick movement, their lips never leaving each other.

She dropped the gun onto the floor, burying her hands in his hair and completely surrendering herself to him.

 **Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all the reviews! I am so happy with how many people are responding to this story. Please leave me some reviews with what you want to see in the next chapter. So many people responded!**

 **Shout outs:**

 **Imaginator: Thank you so much for your support! I really appreciate your suggestion and input, also your trust in me as a writer! I hope I don't disappoint! Please continue letting me know what you like and what you think you want to see in the future.**

 **emily88034: That's a really good idea! I will probably end up doing both, but I'm not sure which one I want first. Thank you so much for loyally reviewing my story since the very beginning! I don't forget those things. Please keep letting me know what you like.**

 **Kuuki-to-Hoshi: That's a really awesome idea! Maybe I will do something along those lines. Thank you so much for reviewing twice! Let me know if you have any other suggestions or ideas!**

 **AnUnexpectedAdventure: Thank you for reviewing! I am still not sure which way I want to take the plot, but I am leaning towards option 1 because I think it is the most original and they need to grow together more! Please keep reviewing and letting me know what you like vs what you want to see!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you so much for all of the support! I am amazed at all of the reviews and favorites. It means so much to me, I can't even explain it! Please leave me a review, even if it is a short one! I would love to hear anything you have to say! Please leave me something in the reviews that you would want to see happen between Marina and The Winter Soldier! I will feature them in my story! Please ask me any question you have or any suggestions! I am so passionate about this, mainly because of those of you who read and comment on my stories! Please keep the love coming. Thank you. There are still a few sections of the story that I'm stuck on. A majority of you said that you wanted Marina to lose her memories, so I think I may follow that point. Please respond to these questions in the reviews with what you think:**

 **1) What kind of powers should I give Marina? I was thinking of giving her something that can be super powerful, but also very destructive. Like the Phoenix from X-men last stand.**

 **2) Should he save her? Not let them fully scramble up her brain. Or Should I let Hydra convince him it's the best thing to do.**

 **3) Do you want to read about them having sex?**

 **Also! Would you guys be interested in seeing who I based Marina (looks wise) off of? I can share her Instagram with you, so you imagine the same thing as I do. Let me know!**

They had kissed nearly all night. It seemed that after she reminded James what kissing was like, he didn't want to stop. She had thought back to earlier, when he said that kissing and touching was foolish. He obviously didn't think so now, as he grabbed at her like a starving man. Their lips brushing had awakened something primal in him, something that had refused to separate their mouths from one another.

Kissing was obviously muscle memory. He was very very good. Knowing when to bite and when to suck just enough to drive her mad.

Once his desperation had died down, their kissing had slowed and become more gentle. Her lips were bruised and swollen from the force of his mouth on hers, but she couldn't bring herself to care. It only made them more sensitive to how his lips still lazily brushed against hers. Whatever serum HYDRA gave him made his stamina nearly inexhaustible. She had grown tired, her hands weakly fisting his shirt. Whenever she tried to separate from him, he would yank her back to him and never ever releasing her captured lips.

He had let her go after a while, long enough for her to fall asleep tucked under his chin.

He had admitted, out loud, that he would never let her go. That he would kill as many people as it took, if that meant she would be here waiting for him every night. He had known that it would be incredibly selfish.

James knew that if Mina had gotten on her knees, crying, and begged for him to let her go he wouldn't do it. He would let her be miserable, so long as she was by his side.

James knew that eventually she would forgive him. For keeping her here. For killing her friends if he had to. He saw it in her eyes. He watched how she battled with herself over whether to end him or to drop the gun and kiss him. She hated herself for her desire for him. He had watched Mina give into him. She would learn to surrender herself to him. He had plenty of time and he was patient.

He wished that he was a better man.

He was incredibly selfish for condemning this angel to be locked in a cage in his own personalized hell. He had shown her his darkest side and she still wanted him. Still didn't shun him. She had kissed him, vigorously, all night.

James had felt a burning jealousy in the pit of his stomach when the blonde man on the bridge had said her name. Had looked at James like he was hurting her. He would never hurt Mina. What right did this man have to be concerned over her? The blonde had quickly dropped the subject when he had seen his face though.

What did he call him? It sounded incredibly stupid.

Bucky. That was it.

Remembering the nickname seemed to have shot James back in time. He saw the blonde man, although he was much smaller than he is now, getting punched by a man in a back ally. He watched, almost like he was like a separate entity himself, as a younger version of him marched up behind the assailant to help the skinny man. He had yanked him off easily, sending his away with a quick kick in the rear.

He was wearing an army uniform. He was cleanly shaven, looking completely carefree. James also had both his arms. Both made of real and solid flesh. This was before he was taken by HYDRA.

A sleepy sigh had snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked down at Marina. She had woken up and it looked like she wanted it to be brief, like she was trying to find a more comfortable position and then fall back asleep.

James head was pounded at the remainder of his memories. Mina. She was familiar and safe. She would help him focus. He tried to concentrate on her breathing, the feel of her weight pressing up against him. It wasn't working, he needed her to wake up. The only thing to ever make it better was her voice.

"Mina.." He whispered.

"Hmm?" She mumbled sleepily, snuggling closer into his chest.

"I knew him." He mumbled.

"Who?" She said, peaking up at him.

"The man on the bridge… The man who called be Bucky."

James remembered Steve. A part of him is trying to remember, a part of him that Marina thought was all but destroyed by The Winter Soldier. She had been peering up at him, seeing the hope in his eyes. Hope she couldn't crush by acting like she didn't know anything. She wanted so badly to help him heal.

"Steve?" She said, giving away a small amount of information.

James forehead only creased more, her words causing more memories to fly through his head. More pieces of a puzzle that he couldn't hope to solve just yet. He saw more flashes of Steve. He was small and bloody, like he had seen him in the original flash. It looked like he got into fights quite a bit. James saw the larger version, assisting him through a series of hallways helping support his weight.

"Steve." He confirmed.

"How'd you know him?" She prompted gently.

How did James know Steve? He still wasn't sure. He saw flashed of who he was. But there was no big picture quite yet.

"I don't know…" He settled on the only answer he had.

"Don't tell them." She whispered, after a moment of silence. She stared into his eyes with fear.

"What?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing. Don't tell who?

"Don't tell them you remember who he is." She said, staring up at him intently. "They'll put you back in that chair and take it away from you. I can't watch it, James. Not again. You'll forget everything. All the things you've learned about yourself. I can't let them take it from you again."

"I wouldn't be able to forget." He whispered, trailing a finger down her jaw.

"This time would be no different." She whimpered, leaning in to the warmth. She couldn't lose him. She was sure she would go insane without him.

"You're wrong." He said, the ghost of a smile playing at his lips. "I could never forget the time we've spent together."

"Maybe not purposefully." She whispered. He didn't understand the seriousness of the situation. "You're strong. Inhumanly so. Stronger than I will ever be. But not even you can beat that machine. No amount of strong will would be able to outlast the shock. You know they would spend hours frying your brain to make sure any trace of me or Steve is gone from your memory."

He leaned his forehead against hers. She was probably right. As much as he hated to admit it. He was only human after all.

A shock in his arm, caused him to jump slightly.

"Are you alright?" She asked, eyes snapping open.

"My arm." He mumbled. "The red head threw something at me. It made me lose use of my arm for a few seconds. Must be the aftermath."

She smiled at him, jumping out of bed almost instantly. She was eager to look at his arm further. She quite enjoyed fixing him up. It was one small way that she would help him out.

"Come on, then! Get up. We'll go fix it." She said smiling, readjusting her clothes. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in part of the reflective wall and grimaced. Her lips were swollen and bruises decorated her chin from where he had gripped her. There would be no question about what they had spent their night doing. She then noticed how he had come to stand behind her.

He was looming over her, staring at her lips again. The same hunger from last night present in his eyes.

"Kiss me" He demanded, dragging his thumb over her bottom lip.

"No, no, no. We'll just get things started all over again." She said, jumping back and out of his reach. She didn't think she'd be able to stop kissing him if she started. Never mind get him to stop kissing her. "I need to fix up your arm before they get impatient."

"Well kiss me anyway, will you?" He said impatiently, trying to get closer.

"Promise not to hold me?" She said raising an eyebrow, with a cheeky smile on her face.

"I promise." He grumbled, folding his hands behind his back. "I'll keep my hands to my sides, see?"

"Now I'll kiss you." She said when she was satisfied by his position and folding her own hands behind her back. She stood about a foot away from him, so he had to bend over a considerable amount to be even close to touching her lips. She tilted her head up, gently locking her lips with his.

She knew what was intended to be a gentle peck, wouldn't stay as such. They're lips had begun moving against each other, a small moan escaping her mouth. She knew that he wouldn't keep his hands to himself for long, feeling his arm snake around her waist and pull her flush against him. Her arms easily wound around his shoulders, fisting in his hair.

He had quickly gotten tired of having to crane his head down to kiss her, so he wrapped his other arm around her and lifted her easily into the air. Holding her up didn't distract him at all, as he continued his assault on her mouth. Their kiss was deepening when-

"I see that murderers become you, Stark." A voice interrupted them. James had quickly dropped her to her feet, arms still protectively coiled around her when he turned in the direction that the voice came from. Marina's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Rumlow." She mumbled, embarrassed.

"Fix him. He's going to be needed for another assignment soon." He said. "And try to keep your hands off each other."

With that, he turned and left.

"Dickhead." She immediately spat out. James looked at her, raising his eyebrows amused. She smiled. "Come on."

They headed to the room with the awful machine inside, James taking his usual place on the chair. Marina gathering the tools she would need to fix up his arm, before taking a seat next to his arm.

"Take off your shirt." She mumbled, as she heated up the metal tool she would be using. When he didn't move, she looked up to see his eyes wide as saucers. She clarified. "So I can look at your arm.."

Realization seemed to dawn on him them, quickly pulling the black wife beater over his head. His body was _incredible_ , and that was putting it mildly. His torso and arms was covered in hard muscle that looked like he was constantly flexing. He could snap her in half if he wanted.

When her eyes had stopped wandering over his chiseled muscles, her attention was drawn to the rigid scarring on his left shoulder. It was were his metal arm had been connected to his flesh. It looked like it had been done with no regard for whether or not it had hurt him. The scars were angry and red, some reaching far into his chest.

"This must have hurt you so badly." She whispered, running her fingers over the connection. He simply hummed to himself and she touched him. She shook her head, turning her attention back to the arm. After she had taken the panel off, it was clear to see whatever Nat had done to his arm screwed it up. It looked like it was painful, sending electrical shocks up and down his arm.

"Hmmm." She said to herself. "Well, whatever Natasha did to your arm really fried the circuits. It's shorting pretty badly, sending electronic pulses through the entire thing. How did you not notice this earlier? It must be painful since whoever gave you the arm connected it to your sensory nerves.."

"Distracted." He said simply, looking at her intently.

"Mmm." She responded, blushing. Looking back down at her work. She heard the door open and close, trying her best to ignore it. To stay concentrated on him and his arm.

"Can you fix it Stark?" So much for that goal. She sighed. She didn't recognize this agent, but she knew better than to just ignore him. James was getting stiffer by the second, especially with an armed man circling them

"It'll take some time, but I'm sure it'll be no problem-"

"Move girl." He interrupted.

"What?" She exclaimed. "No!"

"We'll let one of HYDRA's more experienced engineers handle it. We need him to be ready." He said, pushing her out of the chair and away from James. That was this man's first mistake. His mistake was putting himself in between her and her soldier. She had seen James, begin to move out of the corner of her eye.

"James!" His eyes snapped to her. "Don't. It'll only make it worse." She mouthed to him. She was going to try to reason with them, but she saw the engineers already advancing on him. She saw the look in James eyes become more and more far away, as he became stiff with anger. She could tell he was barely controlling his temper. She needed to try and make this better.

"Don't you remember what happens when you agitate him?" She tried to reason. "He'll kill someone! Personally, I wouldn't mind if he ripped off a few of your heads but I'm sure you'd prefer to skip that. Just let me take the extra time to do it, it's simpler that way."

She turned to look at James, but she could see that he had retreated into his own mind. His eyes were empty, cold. Like they were when she had first met him. These mechanics were making a mistake. One that would cost them.

James mind was going at a mile a minute. He could see flashes of memories before his eyes, familiar men. It was making his head burn. They had taken Mina too far away, he couldn't hear her voice. There was nothing to save him from the pain that his memories brought back.

"Sergeant Barnes." A memory flashed before his eyes. An ugly man with a German accent who wore round glasses. He was laying on a medical table looking up at him. But just as he nearly grasps the memory, it is ripped away, replaced by something new.

It's the man from the bridge. He's reaching out for him. They're on a train in the blistering cold. The blonde is reaching out for him, but James knew he couldn't hold on much longer.

"Bucky! No!" Was all he heard before tumbling down into the cold ravine. He could see the bloody stump that was what remained of his arm.

"The procedure has already started." He heard the German voice say again, before pain in his arm. They were sawing off what was left of his arm.

"You are to be the new face of Hydra." The voice in his head said again. He remembered his horror. Waking up and seeing that he had an arm made completely of metal attached to his shoulder. He remembered chocking someone, before being sedated.

"Put him on ice." He heard the voice faded away. Then the cold.

The prick of something working on his arm is what drew him from his memories. Unfamiliar hands were touching him. He had quickly grabbed them, tossing them across the room. He didn't want them. His arms were flexed, ready for a fight. All the guns in the room were trained on him.

"James!" He heard a familiar voice yell.

He had turned his head to see Mina approaching him, with no fear in her eyes. An agent had tried to grab her, prevent her from coming to him, but she had made quick work of that. She had swung at his nose, breaking his hold on her before running to James.

She had climbed into his lap before anyone could stop her, throwing her small arms around his neck. She massaged his scalp and he tried to regulate his breathing. Neither of them cared how off their position must look. He needed her.

"Sir. He's unstable. Erratic." Marina heard someone say.

"You two look like you've been busy." Rumlow mumbled, eying how closely they were pressed together. Alexander Pierce had stood not far behind him, staring at James intently.

"Stop pointing the guns at him! It makes it worse!" Marina said, allowing herself to hop off his lap.

"Mission report." Pierce said, ignoring Marina completely. James stared at Marina off to his side blankly. Marina could tell that he had no intention of responding. "Mission report now."

Pierce was an impatient man.

When James didn't respond, Pierce slapped him across the face.

"Now." Pierce repeated. When he still got nothing, Marina watched as he turned his attention to her. She swallowed. "Mmm fine. I sense we need to change direction. Something else that might motivate you. I can hit your little whore if you don't give me a mission report."

That seemed to snap James out of it.

"The man on the bridge…. Who was he?" James asked confused. He was trying to distract him. From hurting her. But revealing this information was only going to cause him more pain. She had recognized what he was doing immediately.

"You met him earlier this week on an earlier assignment." Pierce said nonchalantly.

"I knew him." James insisted.

"James, don't-"

"Your work has been a gift to mankind." Pierce interrupted, pulling up a chair as he shot her a dirty look "You shaped a century. And I need you to do it one more time. Society is at a tipping point between order and chaos. Tomorrow morning we're going to give it a push. But if you don't do your part, than I can't do mine. And HYDRA can't give the world the freedom it deserves."

"But I knew him." He said, grimacing slightly.

"Prep him." Pierce said indifferently, standing to exit the room.

"He's been out of cryo for too long." One of the doctors said.

"Then wipe him and start over." Pierce said, waving his hand like it was obvious.

"No!" She said jumping in front of him. "Please you can't. It's a medical miracle that he's made it so long without any significant brain damage. I don't know how many more times his brain can take it."

"How much his brain can take?" Pierce nearly laughed. "No, Stark. I think you're worried about how much your heart can handle. You don't want to watch him hurt."

He wasn't wrong. She couldn't bear to see him in pain. The first time she had hardly knew him and she couldn't stomach it. She had spent so much time with him. Getting to know him. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve this pain. She didn't want to see him hurt. But she didn't want them to know. To know her weakness.

"I-"

"Make her watch." He said cruelly, before turning indifferently to exit the room. Two agents had grabbed her by the arms and forced her to her knees. They were putting a piece of plastic in his mouth, no doubt to protect his tongue. She had been fighting against them, losing control of her temper quickly. She needed to save him. His eyes had never left hers. The blue orbs had silently begged her to stop struggling. The agents would only hurt her worse if she struggled. They were holding her back by her shoulders, when she had managed to get one arm free.

"Stop!" She yelled, she couldn't watch it again. She could feel her desperation flow from her heart and out her fingertips in her need to reach him. What she didn't expect was all the metal in the room to creak and bend towards her, effectively shaking the entire room.

All eyes in the room turned to her, including James. She had looked down at her hands in horror, completely unaware that she could do something like that.

"I knew you were hiding something." Pierces voice said from behind her. He didn't sound surprised. The thought disturbed her. He had known something about her that she didn't even know about herself.

"I'm not hiding-"

"Enough girl." He interrupted. "We've all just seen what you can do. How powerful are you? Tell me everything, it'll be much less painful this way."

"I don't know-"

"Don't lie!" He snapped at her.

"I'm not lying." She whispered pitifully.

She really had no idea. She knew she could control somethings with her mind. Summon an object here and there. But that only happened if she was able to concentrate firmly on it, with no interruptions. She had never been so desperate for something, she nearly destroyed an entire room to get it. She truly wasn't lying.

"Well, I suppose there is one way to find out. Move Soldier." James had stood immediately, moving to try and help her up.

"Wipe her." Pierce said simply.

 **Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all the reviews! I am so happy with how many people are responding to this story. Please leave me some reviews with what you want to see in the next chapter. So many people responded!**

 **Shout outs:**

 **Baby-Vamp1997: I really appreciate that you think she is so well thought out! I am trying to make her not so typical. I don't think anyone would be able to just blindly fall in love with someone who is still an assassin. As of right now, I think that I am probably going to follow with plot one. Please continue to read and review! Thank you so much.**

 **Sparky94: Don't be sorry! I am so excited that you decided to take so much time your day to write such a kind review! I am so excited that you wrote so much and had so many things to say! I think that he will definitely have a dark side. He has been an assassin for so long, it wouldn't make sense for him not to. Especially discovering that he still has the ability to have more romantic feelings. I'm not entirely sure were I'm going, but I am so happy to have a reader like you along for the ride! Please continue to read and review.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello Everyone! Just a note: I have added and updated all the other chapters if you want to reread! Thank you so much for constantly reviewing and reading. I really appreciate it! Please let me know what you think of this chapter! I know a lot of people are concerned about me giving her a power that would solve almost every issue. I want to give her the phoenix power. But she's going to have no idea how to use it and it only comes out when she is absolutely desperate. You'll see! Let me know what you think of this chapter. I based Marina off of one of my friends from college. Let me know if you want to see some pictures of her! Please keep giving me ideas! They make me so happy. I have gotten so much inspiration from all of your reviews, so keep them coming.**

"What?!" Marina exclaimed, turning her head towards Pierce. She hadn't known what to expect from that vile man, but this was certainly on the bottom of her list. She had expected torture, but not something this cruel. She didn't even know if her brain would be able to handle it. James could barely take it and he was an enhanced super soldier, with a speedy healing ability. Before she even knew what was going on, she was being forced up from her position on the ground and towards the chair.

She should have seen this coming. Her father had told her to be careful, but her powers had never ever came out when she was worried or afraid. Or anytime useful for that matter. She had to be concentrating hard when she would use them. She certainly wasn't just moments before. Her only focus had been saving James, and it had caused the entire room to shake in her fear.

They were going to take all of her memories from her and force her to submit to whatever vile agenda they were pushing. Marina was going to become a tool for HYDRA. She was going to become an empty machine. She wouldn't remember anything. That was what was most frightening to her. Not the pain. It was becoming an empty shell of what she once was.

She wouldn't remember the past twenty years she spent with her father. She wouldn't remember going to college or all of the things that she's learned. She wouldn't remember the Avengers. She wouldn't remember any of her favorite things or how to feel. She wouldn't remember all of the time she had spent with James. She probably wouldn't even remember her own name.

"Mina!" She heard his voice yell, immediately jolting out of his obedient stupor. James. He wouldn't let them do this to her. He had protected her this long, he cared about her. She could hear him fighting to get through all the agents and their guns. He was advancing towards her quickly, but her attention was focused on Alexander Pierce.

"You can't do this!" She exclaimed. "What use am I going to be if I don't remember anything? I can't fix anything if I don't remember how to!"

"You also can't hide your powers if you don't know how to." He said simply. How could this man be so indifferent to human suffering? He was going to take everything from her on the chance that she would become more powerful.

"I don't know how to in the first place-"

"Put her in the chair." He said, rolling his eyes. He had obviously had enough of her trying to explain that she knew nothing.

They had managed to start to restrain her, when The Winter Soldier had pulled the agents off her. He pulled her protectively against his chest, with one arm securely around her waist, the other ready to destroy anything that got too close to the two of them. He wasn't going to let them hurt her. He snapped the wrist on a man who tried to take Marina out of his arms.

"Soldier." Pierce said, getting James attention. "Enough."

"No." He said, tightening his hold on her.

"What did you say?" Pierce said surprised. He obviously had not expected James to protect her so fiercely. Pierce knew that if The Soldier decided to fight his way out of this, they would probably win. Especially not knowing what powers the girl has.

"I won't let you." He whispered.

"You forget your place Soldier." Pierce scoffed. The Soldier was still programmed to be obedient. He didn't know anything other than HDYRA, so it shouldn't take much to convince him to stop protecting her. "I gave her to you. I can take her away."

"I don't care." He said.

The realization washed over Pierce quite suddenly. He supposed it should have been painfully obvious before. The Soldier was looking at the Stark girl like she was the only thing grounding him. Looked at her like she was the center of his entire universe. She held onto him tightly, like this was a familiar position for the two of them. The bruised chin and swollen lips suddenly made sense. This would be easy. This could be used to his advantage.

"Oh I see." Pierce said, laughing as realization came over him. "The little Stark girl has melted the Winter Soldiers heart. Truly, I didn't think you were capable of those feelings anymore. Rumlow had his suspicions, but I must say I did not believe them. Looking at Stark now it's obvious! It looks like you spent all night together." He said referencing to her swollen lips and bruised face. "With a girl over seventy years younger than you! Imagine what her father is going to think!"

"Stop it!" Marina hissed at him.

"She'll never truly be yours." Pierce said casually, stepping aside so The Soldier could leave with his prize. James eyebrows furrowed, looking at Pierce with confused eyes.

"James, don't listen." Marina said, tugging on his hand. She was looking between James and Pierce with concerned eyes. He was going to try and manipulate James. Marina was smart enough to decipher that as soon as Pierce realized that they cared about one another.

"She'll always want to leave you." Pierce said to James, completely ignoring Marina. "I know she already told you she would run if she had the chance. Order comes through pain. You know this. If we free her of the memories from her past, you can build an entirely new life here with her. She wouldn't know anything but you and HYDRA."

She could see James eyebrows pull further together, the look of confusion becoming even more pronounced. He looked like he was considering Pierces words. _Oh no._ He was actually thinking about letting them wipe her so she would want to stay with him forever. She could see the contemplation in his eyes. She needed to try to reason with him before Pierce made up his mind for him.

She remembered James words from the night before. How he told her she could cry and beg, but he would never change his mind.

"They're manipulating you!" Marina exclaimed, pulling his face down to look at her. The desperation in her eyes clear. She wouldn't leave him. She wanted to leave HYDRA.

"Manipulating?" Pierce said, doing his best to sound sincere. "It's the truth. How could she want to leave if the only thing she knew was you? She'd stay and be able to love you forever."

"That's not love! " She exclaimed, shaking her head. He needed to understand. "That's selfishness. You would take everything that made me who I am away! I wouldn't be the same."

She watched his face. He looked hopelessly confused. Even now, when he was considering allowing them to take her life away, she felt horrible for what they did to him. It was there fault that he was so desperate for human companionship that he would let them hurt her. Only to ensure that she would stay with him forever. James looked down at her with so much pain in his eyes. Leaning down, he softly kissing her on the lips. The ministration had her sighing. Marina thought that maybe reason had overcome his desperation.

When he pulled away, she saw something that she dreaded. A dark determination.

"I am selfish." He whispered to her.

Marina could feel her heart break. Maybe he wasn't what she thought. Maybe he was just cold and cruel. She was so stupid to let herself care for this man. _This weapon_. He gripped her upper arms and put her in the chair. Marina had felt numb. She couldn't believe her ears. He wouldn't. She was snapped out of her stupor when she felt the restraints clamp down on one of her arms.

"James, don't-" She whispered shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Marina." He interrupted, gently quieting her protests. "It'll only hurt for a little while."

He couldn't listen to her beg him. When she realized he had made up his mind, she had begun to fight him. She tried to squirm out of his iron grasp, but quickly discovered that it wouldn't be possible. She wouldn't be moving unless he wanted her to.

"I'll never forgive you for this!" She hissed at him. He was going to be responsible for taking everything away from her. She promised herself in that moment that she would fight to remember. Remember how it was him who put her in this chair and took everything away from her. She promised herself she wouldn't forget next time what he really was.

"Yes you will." He growled at her, snapping the last restraint. Her anger didn't dissuade him. She was terrified. She couldn't possibly fathom how much that this was going to hurt her. It had made James scream, someone who was accustomed to pain. She hadn't even broken a bone. She didn't want this.

He was leaning over her, making the final adjustments. He cast a glance down at her to see tears forming in her eyes. She had stopped struggling, just looking up at him like a broken little girl. She was innocent and didn't deserve this.

"Don't do this to me." She begged him.

"It'll be okay, Mina." He whispered, touching the side of her face gently. "We'll be able to be together-"

"Don't call me that!" She interrupted ripping her face from his grasp. She stared at him with so much disdain. The fear had quickly turned back into anger. "You've lost the right. You are truly a selfish, cold man. I shouldn't have been so stupid. I promise you, I won't ever forget who did this to me. When I remember, you'll never have my care or affection again! I have never hated anyone so much in all my life-"

James quickly clamped his metal hand over her mouth. He couldn't listen to it anymore. This was going to hurt him. Possibly much more than it was going to hurt her. She would most likely lose consciousness within the first five minutes, her body not being able to handle the stress. He didn't need the reminder of his selfishness. Didn't need to hear those words from her sweet voice. They would repeat themselves in his head without her reminding him.

"Vse budet otlichno." He whispered, kissing her forehead. "YA nikuda ne poyedu."

He released her, reaching for the mouth guard.

"James. Please." She whimpered, one last time. He quickly shoved it in her mouth, pulling the lever. He kept eye contact with her, hoping that if the last thing she saw was him that she would maintain some familiarity with him. Her blue eyes staring into her brown ones.

"I'm so sorry," was the last thing that Marina heard before the pain.

 _James POV_

James hope that she would pass out from the pain did not come true. He had listened to her scream for less than a minute before he had immediately regretted his choice. He knew that pain all too well, knew what it was like to have everything taken away from you. Was it really worth hurting her for? He had been so caught up in his fear that he didn't stop to think of what the possible consequences would be. He knew he was selfish. A monster.

During the second minute, she had screamed for him. At first, it had been a small whimpered escaping from her mouth. But it didn't take long for her to be screaming his name. Even after he put her in that chair, she still called out to him to help her. It felt like a knife was being twisted in his chest. He had watched, trying to remain detached, but it wasn't working. He had to fight himself to stay in place.

It was at the third minute mark that he decided he couldn't listen to it anymore. He had advanced to stop the machine, only to be tased in the back by one of the agents watching him closely. He had fallen to his knees in pain, unable to move but unable to look away from Mina being tormented. They must have been prepared. They knew he couldn't be able to listen to it for long. Women made the strongest men weak.

By the fourth minute, she had passed out. All he could do now was watch from his knees as the electricity flowed through her, taking away all her memories. She would twitch once in a while, but at least she wasn't screaming anymore. When the machine finally pulled away from her, he let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

He could see familiar burn marks on her temples. Burns he had become all too familiar with.

"You did the right thing Soldier." Pierces voice said.

He didn't respond. He knew that what he did would make Mina want to stay with him. She wouldn't remember anything else. She would always be with him to ask him silly questions and read books with him. She would always be with him to stop the burning in his skull. He would always be able to keep her safe and close to him. He didn't want anything more than that. But he still couldn't help but feel like he did something wrong.

"When she wakes up, she'll imprint on the first person she sees." Pierce continued, talking to The Soldier. "She'll depend on them for everything, take any order from them without question. We'll allow you to be that person. All you have to do is say you'll make destroying Captain America your first priority."

 _Steve_ , James remembered. James didn't recognize the man, but at the same time he felt something in his gut that screamed 'don't kill him'. James supposed he didn't matter. Captain America's importance to him paled in comparison to Minas.

"Understood." He said.

"She's going to need a new name, new clothes. I will arrange a new living space for the two of you. She'll be kept away from things that could possibly trigger any flashbacks." He continued.

"Understood." James said again, not taking his eyes off the floor.

"Look. She's waking up." Pierce said. But James eyes had already snapped up, hearing her small body stirring in the seat.

 _Mina POV_

When she opened her eyes, everything was blurry. She blinked a few times, trying to get the blurriness in her eyes to disappear. Some of it did, but her vision remained nearly wholly unfocused. She couldn't see anything far away, no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on it. She could see the shapes of people moving in the room, but that was all. The details wouldn't come into focus.

Her head hurt her. It was pounding, like she hadn't drank water in days. Her throat was sore, from what she had no idea. It was almost like she had been screaming for hours. Or she had a cold of some kind. She couldn't really be sure. She blinked a few more times, trying to chase the pain away.

Not only couldn't she see, she had no idea where she was or who she was with. A thought that caused her to immediately start to panic. Her breathing quickened as she began to struggle in the restraints.

"Mina?" A gentle voice asked. Her eyes snapped up to see icy blue eyes staring into her own. He looked sad. Like he was in terrible pain. She cocked her head to the side, slowly taking in his image with wide eyes. It was like he knew she couldn't see him, so he had moved closer for her to examine. He was handsome, with rugged features and chin length brown hair. But it was his eyes that had kept her attention.

His eyes held the promise of protection. Or endless care.

"Do you know where you are?" A cold voice asked. Her eyes snapped to the side, taking I the image of an older man. She did not like the look in his eyes. It was cruel and incredibly cold. It was like someone had sucked the soul out of this man, leaving the empty shell.

The hands of the man with the blue eyes gently nudged her, encouraging her to respond to the older man's question. She shook her head no.

"You're in HYDRA's headquarters." He said, then gesturing to the man with the blue eyes. "This is the Winter Soldier. He's your new master. You'll do what he says. Do you understand?"

She shook her head yes.

"What's your name?"

She stared blankly off at the wall. What was her name? She tried to think of what people called her. But anytime she feel like she got close to a response, it slipped away. Trying to think of a name had her head pounding uncomfortably. Did she even have a name? She didn't realize how long she had taken to respond to the question, when the impatient voice of the older man interrupted her thoughts again.

"Answer the question."

"I-I don't know…" Came a soft voice. It was unfamiliar. But she knew it was her own.

"It worked." The older man said, turning to speak to the Winter Soldier. "You can call her whatever you want, it makes no difference to me. I'll let you know when I need her again."

With that being said, the older unpleasant man exited the room. What worked? She had no idea who she was, what she was doing in this cold room, or who these men were. She couldn't even remember her own name. She could test her luck by asking the handsome man. She hadn't even noticed he had begun unstrapping her from the chair.

She looked at him concentrating on pulling the contraption apart. He looked troubled. She hoped he wouldn't get to angry with her for asking. Everyone has a name.

"What is my name?" She asked, voice cracking slightly.

 _Marina Stark_ , he thought to himself. James had begun to remember her full name the more he had been around her. James had remembered her name was Marina. But he couldn't tell her that. He couldn't call her that. Swallowing his emotions, he decided on the next best thing.

"Your name is Mina." He said.

"Mina?" She whimpered. It sounded familiar.

"Mina." He confirmed. "Mina Barnes."

 **Thank you guys again for reading and reviewing! I plan on continuing giving people shoutouts who review or ask questions so please ask away! I love all of your suggestions and ideas also, so please keep leaving them in the review. Give me some cute scenes you want to see between James and the newly wiped Mina. She obviously has no idea he has done anything wrong and is going to look to him as a care giver. Please review!**

 **Moniquita2- Thank you so much for constantly reviewing! I just want you to know that I notice it and that I really appreciate it! It truly inspires me to keep going and I hope that you continue to love my story.**

 **Kuuki-to-Hoshi- Thank you so much for pointing out the error with the point of views! I didn't realize that the separations weren't copying from my computer to the website. I fixed them in the other chapters! I am so happy you recognized that scene! If you can find me a video of that scene you suggested, I would love to include it! PM me the link if you can find it.**

 **NoVacancyMind: Thank you for leaving so many great suggestions! I don't plan on making her all powerful because that would lead to a terribly boring story. I'm not entirely sure were I'm going to go with her powers yet or how they are going to work! Please keep giving me Ideas because I really appreciate it.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I am AMAZED with how many awesome reviews I have gotten for this story. It quickly boomed and became relatively popular and I am so excited! Please keep reading and reviewing. I get so excited when I read all of your questions and comments. I take all of your suggestions to heart. Please keep giving me ideas! I have been so inspired by all of you to continue my writing. The ideas you give me will most likely be implanted eventually because so many of them are amazing! Please keep them coming! I am so excited that so any of you are excited about this story. Again, I updated previous chapters so you might want to reread! Not too much has changed, but there is some extra fluff here and there. Let me know in the reviews if you notice it! In the review, let me know what you think about the following questions!**

 **1) What type of scenes would you like to see of Bucky and Marina growing closer? She is going to become attached to him, but what in particular would you like to see?**

 **2) Do you want to read about them having sex?**

"Oh." She whispered looking down. Mina. That did sound familiar. So did the name Barnes. It sounded close enough to her. Familiar enough to be correct. "Mina Barnes." She repeated to herself, eyes unfocused. It was like she was in her own dream world. The name had made her feel happy, complete. He had finished freeing her from the machine she was trapped in, walking towards the door. Mina made no move to follow him, staring blankly at him.

She was unsure if she should follow him. Unsure if she should trust him. After all, she didn't know him. Well maybe she did, but she couldn't remember. When he realized she wasn't following him, he turned and sighed.

"Come on." He demanded, gesturing towards the door. She knew that he wanted her to follow him out that door and into the unknown. But she was frozen to her seat. It wasn't normal to just not know anything about herself or how she got here. She looked at him like she was contemplating whether or not she could trust him.

James knew she was sizing him up when she debated on whether or not to follow after him. She was still too smart for her own good. James should have known that he would never have been able to completely fool her. Mina was brilliant. She wasn't supposed to question her handler or look at them as if something was missing. It was a miracle that her superior intelligence had survived the machine.

"Look at the little princess now." A voice said from the doorway. It was Rumlow. The stupid arrogant man who lusted after Marina like a starved dog. The man wasn't nearly as subtle as he thought he was. James watched his every move, every disgusting glance that Rumlow sent towards his Marina. James had sworn to himself that if he ever got the change he would pull Rumlow's intestines out of his throat. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to completely destroy him. James already felt particularly awful. He didn't need Rumlow traumatizing her anymore.

He turned to her and saw that se still looked beautiful, in a tragic way. Her hair was a mess and her nose was red from her crying. The ratty t-shirt she had worn the night he took her bunched up high, showing a generous amount of her legs. It made him feel worse. Her lips and cheeks were bruised from his overly aggressive affections the night before. He wanted her even more now that she looked so incredibly broken and _his._

Broken… He felt sick with himself.

James fists clenched, going stiff almost immediately. He had taken an unconscious step in front of her, shielding her from Rumlow's eyes. He watched Marinas eyebrows furrow, like she was trying to remember why the condescending nickname sounded familiar. But James could tell by the way she also stiffened up, her opinion of him didn't change at all.

"Look at me, girl." He snapped, trying to pear around The Winter Soldier to see her. She snapped her eyes to him, the defiance clear in them. It was obvious that she didn't care for him. James wanted to laugh to himself. Rumlow was probably hoping that this would help him out, maybe putting him in her better graces. But it was clear, she still wasn't a fan. Rumlow turned to James. "Move Soldier."

James reluctantly took a small side step, allowing him to see how disheveled she really was. Rumlow's responding grin was sickening.

"No spirit." He said smiling, reaching out to touch her face. "Not anymore. Maybe you'll finally do what I say-"

To both his and James surprise, Mina bit his finger just as hard and aggressively as the time when they first met.

Mina didn't like the way this man looked at her. She didn't know many things, but she could sense intentions. She had a feeling deep in her gut that this man was bad news. That he wanted to hurt her. He looked at her like he now had the right to touch her. Like she was his property. She wasn't given to him. She was given to The Winter Soldier. She didn't want the evil man's hands on her. She didn't want anyone's hands on her. She wasn't even sure if she could trust the man that had been appointed as her master. She was afraid, uncomfortable, and vulnerable.

When she bit down, he had cried out snatching his hand away from her. He looked down at his hand in shock, then back up to her face with wild eyes.

She looked back at him with wide doe eyes. Everything after that happened so fast.

"You little bitch!" He nearly screeched at her.

Before she could blink, her little neck was being crushed in his oversized, unwelcomed hand. He was crushing her wind pipe. She chocked and her throat burned. He yanked her forward, so his eyes were boring down into hers. He looked like he was going to kill her, but just as she was going to close her eyes and pray from it to end, he was ripped away from her.

The man with the kind blue eyes. He had tossed the evil man across the room and into a nearby wall. He protected her. Her self-preservation instinct had caused her to emotionally latch onto him. He had saved her.

The Winter Soldier grabbed the man by the back of the neck hauling him off the ground and out of the room, leaving her alone and frightened.

 _James POV_

The Winter Soldier had never acted out against Rumlow in fear of what they would do to Marina. He kept his anger to himself so they wouldn't use her to hurt him, like he was sure they would. He had wanted so many times to kill that man for the way he touched her, but they no longer had anything to threaten him with. James knew that they weren't going to kill her, she had too much value. They had already taken everything from her. He had nothing left to fear from them. Seeing his hands on her throat had completely thrown him over the edge.

He had tossed him away from her, like he weighed no more than a feather. James dragged him out of the room in a fit of rage. Mina didn't need to see this. Didn't need to see how James would lose control and fly into a jealous and possessive fury.

She was vulnerable and frightened and Rumlow had tried to touch her without asking first. Of course she was going to be scared. He had no right to put his hands on her. No right. She belonged to him. Only he could touch her. He held the man up by the neck, pressing him painfully against the wall. He snapped his fist back into his jaw, splitting Rumlow's lip.

"If you _ever_ put your hands on her again, I'll kill you." He growled, putting emphasis on every word. It was a dark promise, one that he would have no problem fulfilling.

"I'll do whatever-" Another hard hit to the face. It wasn't the response that he wanted.

"You'll what?" He asked, taunting him slightly and cracking his head back against the wall.

"I'll do whatever I w-" Wrong answer. James hit him again.

"Try again."

His words were a grumbled mess, the swelling in his jaw making it all but unintelligible. He was submitting to James, he didn't have much a choice. His oxygen intake was being cut off, making him desperate not to suffocate. It was sad to see how a man could be turning into a simpering mess when their life was on the line. James could tell that he was going to comply with whatever he wanted. When James dropped him to the floor, he had begun to scurry away quickly.

James had turned his attention back to Marina. She needed him. But his thoughts were interrupted by Rumlow's voice, yet again.

"You don't have any room to talk Soldier." Rumlow bit out.

James froze. He knew what Rumlow was referring to. The Winter Soldier wasn't stupid. He had enough training and had gone on enough missions to know what people were like. What they did when they were at their most desperate. He was taunting him. He was insinuating he had hurt Marina. James wanted to think what he had done was for the best. That he had helped save her.

The reason Rumlow's words irritated him so much was because deep down he knew that he was right, but James would never admit that to himself. But Rumlow wasn't wrong. James didn't have a right to demand Rumlow keep his hands off her. All James could think about sometimes was pulling her against him and ravaging her. His own selfish need for her was the reason she had lost her memories. But he pushed those feelings down immediately.

She needed it. Order comes through pain and she was much too independent. Too smart. HYDRA would have destroyed her, but he saved her. She belonged to him now.

"She's mine." He snapped at him, pointing a finger at him. "You would do well to remember that."

He punched him in the face, one last time, for good measure.

 _Mina POV_

When the Winter Soldier walked back inside the room, she could tell that he was still very angry. His breathing was erratic and his shoulders were heaving from exertion. His fists were balled up tightly, even shaking a little if you paid close enough attention. His glare was something she never wanted directed at her. It was cold and distant, so different from when she had first woken up. But when his eyes fell on her, they softened.

They held eye contact for a while, neither really saying anything. Her eyes remained wide, as he slowly approached the chair. She looked like a little angel that had fallen from heaven. Straight into hell. It looked like someone had broken her wings, trapping her there. She was looking to him for protection, but little did she know she desired a demon.

Shaking his thoughts from his mind, he grabbed a small jar of some form of gel, sitting down next to her. She kept her eyes on him, still not fully sure if she could trust him. He seemed to simply sit there, until he watched her shoulders sag in relief.

She had looked away, faltering under his intense gaze. She looked at the wall, shuddering from the cold air. He seemed good. He didn't give her the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach when she looked at him. She saw something metal sparkle in the light, causing her head to snap towards him. He was moving towards her. She had snatched his wrist in her hand, trembling from the fear now.

She stared at him not in fear of his metal arm, but in fear of someone else's hand closing around her neck and cutting off her air supply. He paused, before trying again to move towards her. Mina had jumped back even further away from him.

The Winter Soldier sighed, dropping his arm. He was losing his patience. When she had let her guard down, his hands had quickly darted to her hips pulling her down into his lap. She had squirmed, trying to get away from him. He had easily held her in place, content with just letting her tire herself out. Mina knew then that she probably wasn't going to be able to move anywhere unless it was okay with The Winter Solider. She was panicking. Had she made the wrong call about him? Was he going to hurt her? All of these were questions flying through her head at that very moment.

He gripped her chin, causing her to look him in the eyes. They were still kind and caring.

"Stop struggling. I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered. She had immediately complied, mostly from fear. But a small part of her wanted to please him. She was staring at him with wide obedient eyes when he continued. "Good girl. Let me see your head."

"Why?" She asked quietly, her eyebrows pulling together.

"You have wounds on your temples." He said simply.

 _Oh._ That seemed like a reasonably enough response. He didn't want to hurt her. The Winter Soldier was trying to help her. Her survival instincts were screaming at her to stay near this man. His physical strength was beyond that of any man, she could tell by how he moved. He was powerful. He would be able to protect her. She could also see the desire to keep her safe in his eyes.

The way he wanted to help her heal was enough to convince her to allow him to dip his fingers into the jar from before. He moved slowly, as if not to scare her anymore. He let the back of one finger run along her jaw, before reaching its destination. She was frozen were she sat, staring at him as he moved. The Winter Solider rubbed the cream into her temples soothingly, causing her eyes to slip closed and a content sigh to leave her lips. It helped cool the sting that she didn't even know was there.

She was leaning into his hand, enjoying the sensation.

Something flashed in her mind. A memory. Hazy, but still there. The man in front of her with similar burn marks on his head. It caused her brain to burn. Like someone had just poured acid into it. He could undoubtably feel how she had tensed up.

"You can trust me." He said, staring into her eyes.

Could she? He had saved her and helped her. She had a funny feeling in her stomach, like he was familiar. But could she trust him? That was the real question. There was one way to know for sure. She could ask him.

"You promise?" She asked in a tentative voice, gripping the front of his shirt and leaning into him slightly. Anyone could lie, but in her innocence, she didn't think of that.

"Yes." He whispered back with a small smile on his face. "I promise."

She smiled at him. A big innocent and trusting smile. When she relaxed in his arms, he couldn't help but feel guilty. She had those burns because of him.

"What do I call you?" She asked, breaking his guilt ridden train of thought.

What should he tell her? He didn't want to trigger any memories. He clearly remembered how she had hacked into HYDRA to try and find out more about him. He wondered if she would ever remember. Part of him hoped so, but part of him didn't. Having her call him anything else besides James would hurt him too much. He didn't want to be known at The Winter Solider or The Asset to Marina. He was a weapon to everyone before her and he wanted to be himself.

"James." He said.

"Well it's nice to meet you James." She said with a smile.

"Why can't I remember anything?" She whispered, looking up at him with wide imploring eyes. He had expected this question, just not so soon! Of course she was bound to be curious why she had no memories of who she was or what she was doing with HYDRA. He didn't have any time to formulate a response and he could tell she felt him tense. She looked at him with concerned eyes.

"It's hard to explain." He ground out.

"Can you try?" She asked, not noticing that the topic was making him angry.

"No." He responded, looking at the wall.

"Why not?" She said, pouting slightly.

"Because I said so, Mina!" He snapped, the words coming out far harsher than he meant them to. She immediately cringed away from him, looking like she was bracing to be hit or chocked again. He didn't mean to scare her. It was just something he needed more time to think about. More time to think about how to explain it to her. He sighed deeply, pulling her chin up to look at him. His eyes soft and caring.

 _Oh no,_ Mina thought to herself. She had already upset him. He was being so kind to her and her stupid questions had made him angry. The only person she had met that didn't make her feel sick was yelling at her. It made her desperate to fix it. What if he sent her away? She just wanted to be near him. His voice helped her racing thoughts. He was going to hit her like that evil man, but at least this time she deserved it. When nothing came, she looked up at him. He didn't look angry.

"Are you mad at me?" She whimpered. "Please don't be, I'm only curious."

"No." He said with a small smile.

"Then why do you look so upset?" She asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"Shush." He said, nearly laughing at her sweet questions. She was still in there. He could see it. It wouldn't take long before she was almost entirely back to normal, save for the memories.

 **Thank you all again! I really appreciate all of your support and kind words. Please keep it up, it truly means the world to me. Especially those of you who review every chapter! It's never ever to late to review so please do so if you can! Thanks again.**

 **CherryNekow: I'm glad that my story is proving you wrong! If you have any ideas on how to keep the story interesting and engaging please let me know! I don't want it to be to easy. Thank you so much for taking the time to review. Please continue** **J**

 **Luau: I was thinking about something along those lines! I'm not sure whats going to happen next or how she is going to remember, but it will trying! Thank you so much for reviewing! Please continue your suggestions and letting me know what type of stuff you want to see.**

 **FangedMe: Will she ever get her glasses? Probably eventually. I'm not sure when or how lol. If you have an idea or have imagined it happening a certain way please let me know! I would love to hear it. I'm glad that my story had such an effect on you! I am always so excited to hear about everyones reactions!**

 **Pandora10001: Thank you so much for reviewing! I really appreciate it. I am glad that my story impressed you** **J** **Please let me know if you have any ideas for plot twists or exciting scenes. Please keep reading and reviewing.**

 **Baby-Vamp1997: I am trying to portray his emotional conflict correctly. Its been really difficult for me to navigate that grey area. He's stuck between feeling guilty and being happy about what he did. He gave her his last name because it's the only one he remembers besides her own.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you so much for all of your feedback! Let me just say, I'm sorry I didn't update sooner. I live in a dorm on campus and the power went out. Completely. No water, no elevators, no wifi, no nothing. I am currently typing this in my room, in which it is pitch black. You can say I'm a little salty! But I was happy because it allowed for a time I could write with no distractions! Please continue to read, review, and give me suggestions! I am trying to think of how I want this plot to go and you guys have given me so many great ideas!**

 **While I am getting so much love, there are a few people who are hating on my story. I just want to say I one hundred percent know what he did to her was not love, it was obsession. I completely understand that it is not normal. It's not supposed to be normal or easy for either of them. Please trust me as a writer when I say I know where I want to go with this! She is not a weak fool, and he is not a crazy asshole. If you cannot look past it, feel free to stop reading.**

 **Anyway, this is the plot point I'm thinking about. Let me know what you think!**

 **1) They fall in love slowly but surely. He takes care of her and starts to realize what he did was wrong. That what he didn't wasn't something you do to somebody that you love. When they run away together, I may have them be married in a little village somewhere. But she also begins to remember slowly. She is discovering her powers, when it all comes through all at once (not sure when.) He comes back and she either points a gun at him or actually shoots him. Idk yet! Let me know what you think and what you wanna see!**

 **2) Orrr this happens but instead of her remembering, the guilt eats him up and he admits it himself.**

She had fallen asleep pretty quickly after he rubbed the cream into the burns on her head. Mina looked like a kitten curling up in his lap and leaning into his hands. It wasn't a surprise to James. She couldn't just handle that machine without some sort of consequences. Exhaustion definitely seemed like a valid response to having your memories and previous life shocked out of you. He had carried her back to the new space HYDRA had provided for them, depositing her on the bed easily.

He had earned her trust when he yanked Rumlow off of her when he attacked. He could tell that her demeanor towards him had changed entirely. Instead of being wary of him like she was at first, she had accepted his help. He was trained to read people. He could see the subtle way she tried to stay behind him, following him with her eyes. Looking at him like savor. It felt good to be looked to for protection and safety, rather than fear of death.

It was a beautiful thing to be needed. And by something so good and innocent. Mina was already innocent before the wipe. Her wide eyes and innocent questions always managing to make warmth spread throughout his chest. She was a bright light in a dark place. But now, if it could be possible, she looked even more so. She didn't understand the bad things in the world, looking to him for approval before doing anything.

She had imprinted on him like a wild animal. He saw what Pierce meant when he said she would do whatever he said.

James was conflicted.

It was like he had two different people in his head. The Winter Soldier, who felt this all-consuming need for Marina Stark, was getting a twisted joy out of seeing her so vulnerable. He wanted her near him all the time, to possess her. The Solider didn't care much for her happiness, only that she was with him and safe. The Soldier didn't feel guilty for taking all of her memories away. Just happiness in the security that she would never be able to leave him now.

Then there was James Barnes. The man that he used to be before…whatever happened to him. His voice was small, but it was there speaking quietly at times. The man felt guilty for taking everything from her. For hurting her. The man was the one who wanted to hold her. That voice in his head at yelled at him as he strapped her into the chair, trying to battle for dominance. The man knew what they did was wrong. But his voice was often over powered by that of The Winter Soldier.

How to take care of Mina was something that his two personalities could hardly agree on. The man brought her books, but The Soldier was the one who demanded she read to him. It was the Soldier who would nearly crush her in a need to be closer to her, but it was the man who had kissed her. Mina was something both needed. It was the first time that both sides of him could agree on something. They didn't clash in his head when he thought of her. He needed her.

He had been grabbing clean clothes for her, thinking about his conflicted emotions. He had reluctantly left her alone in the room. But he figured that Rumlow's face would have been warning enough for anyone who tried to hurt her. A clear warning: he would rip anyone her tried to hurt her to pieces.

He opened the door, but what he saw made him gasp.

Everything in the room that wasn't bolted to the ground was hovering about a foot in the air, the clothes in his hand were quickly forgotten. The dresser, his weapons, the books, the lamps. Everything was hovering in the air. His eyes quickly searched for Marina. She was still laying in the bed, were he put her. Except the bed was also hovering.

He remembered back to when she was afraid. Afraid for him in the room with the chair. Everything in the room bent to her will when she reached for him. This must be her power that HYDRA was talking about.

Mina was tossing and turning, obviously having a nightmare.

He had rushed to her, jumping onto the bed. It took a little more effort because it was hovering off the ground. Her breathing was erratic as she struggled.

"Mina!" James whispered, shaking her gently. She tried to squirm away from him in her sleep but his grip on her upper arms was tight. He had pulled her into the upright position, one arm curled around her waist while the other supported her head. When her eyes finally snapped open, everything fell to the ground with a crash. James heard glass breaking, but he didn't care. All he was concerned for was the distressed girl in his arms.

When she first opened her usually warm brown eyes, all he found was blackness. Emptiness. Her eyes were completely black and soulless. After a moment, they dilated back into her normal soft brown. Her eyes were unfocused and she gripped the front of his black t-shirt like it was a life line.

Her eyes… They were only that color for a second. But it was long enough for James to notice. It was enough to frighten him. She looked like she was absolutely consumed by whatever was hurting her. When her eyes focuses on him, he saw recognition pool.

"James?" He voice whispered. It cracked, like she was terrified. It was at times like these he remembered how young she really was. She was barley twenty years old. He didn't know how chronologically old he was. But he knew that physically, he was older than her. Was it wrong he wanted someone so young? He nodded. With a relived sigh, Marina slumped forward against his chest. "I had a nightmare. Someone was trying to hurt me. I couldn't get away, I-I couldn't-"

Her own sobs cut off her words, clinging closer to him than before. He didn't know how to comfort her, so he sat there stiffly and just allowed her to hold onto him. It was odd. He could touch her whenever he wanted. He always wanted to feel how soft she was. But when she reached for him, he stiffened up like a board.

"Talk to me." She whimpered. She needed to be distracted. Anything to pull her attention away from her nightmares. Her self-control was breaking and it felt like her mind was falling to bits. She could feel something in her head. Something that wanted to destroy anything that she could get her hands on.

"About what?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Anything." She said desperately, releasing him to hold onto her skull. She pulled her hair like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.

"What's your favorite color?" He stuttered quickly.

"I don't remember." She responded, looking into his eyes. Her eyes were wide and sad. He just wanted to make her feel better.

An idea came into his head. It probably wasn't smart, but he knew it would distract her. Something familiar. He trailed his hand up her neck and into her mess of curls. He gently toyed with a strand before tugging the ribbon he had given her free. The dark blue looked just as clean and bright as it did when he first brought it home for her.

"How about this color?" He asked, holding the piece of fabric in front of her face. Her nose scrunched slightly.

"I like it." She said slowly, pain slowly disappearing from her face. "But I don't think it's my favorite."

"What do you think your favorite is?" He asked. James was very confused. This was her favorite color a few days ago. He didn't remember many things, but this was something he specifically knew to be true.

"Your eyes." She whispered, staring up at him as realization rushed over her.

"What?" He asked, his focusing turning back down to her.

She thought for a moment. She couldn't remember anything about herself, this much was true. But she remembered wintery eyes staring at her. They were always watching over her, always making sure she was safe. She remembers the color. She knew in her heart that they were his. She got flashes on the color when she allowed her mind to run free.

"The color of your eyes." She whispered finally, a small smile pulling up the corners of her lips. "I remember them. Looking at me. They're like ice. I think that's my favorite."

"Oh." He was shocked. But she didn't seem to notice, leaning back onto him and taking slow deep breaths.

Steve POV

"What are we going to do Steve?" Natasha asked. Pacing the empty warehouse

What where they going to do? His best friend was still alive. But he was a trained, cold detached assassin. The only time he saw any emotion in his eyes was when Steve recognized Marina's necklace. The look in Bucky's eyes was frightening. It was a fierce, unyielding possession. Like he didn't like another man talking about Marina. He looked angry that Steve had assumed he would hurt her.

What other conclusion was he supposed to come to? Bucky had almost taken off his head with his own shield!

"I don't know." Steve admitted. "Tony is on his way. Hopefully he will be able to help us."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Natasha exclaimed. "Your best friend, who fell out of a train seventy years ago, just tried to kill us! Try and do better than I don't know."

"I don't know!" Steve exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. Steve leaned against the wall, exasperated, gripping his hair. He didn't know how to explain that his friend has survived all this time. It must have been from when Steve had gone to rescue him the first time. He remembered how he had found Bucky strapped to a table, mumbling nonsense. They had experimented on him. Whatever they did to him must have helped him survive the fall.

He hated to think what happened in between. What had happed to Bucky to make him fall so far? He had no idea who he was. Steve could tell when he called out Bucky's name that he was genuinely confused.

They heard the door creaking. Looking up, he saw a familiar figure.

"Tony." Steve greeted .

"Cap."

Steve looked pitiful. He looked like a man who was utterly lost and confused.

"Update me." Tony snapped impatiently, waving his hands. "What do we know so far?"

Steve took a deep breath.

"HYDRA is responsible for everything." Steve began, beginning to pace around the room. "I don't know how we could be so blind. They infiltrated SHIELD, who knows how long ago. This all has something to do with Project Insight."

He didn't know he could be so blind to all of this. He had worked for them for years. Doing their dirty work for them. He had no doubt Tony probably felt this same betrayal.

"What about Nina?" Tony said, still sound impatient. "Do we have any clue what they want with her?"

"We were hoping you could elaborate." Steve said, raising an eyebrow.

There was a long pause. Tony seemed to get very uncomfortable. Which was very odd for Tony. He rarely showed any of his emotions, especially negative ones. Tony was pacing back and forth, fiddling with something on his wrist. Steve could tell that he didn't want to share. But he realized he had no choice. If he wanted to find his daughter he was going to have to say something.

"Not even I'm sure." He finally said. "Her mother was special. It ended up destroying her. Before we died, we had designed pills. They weren't ready in time for her mother, but they worked on Marina. Suppressing the powers."

"What is she capable of?" Steve pressed.

"I'm not entirely sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Steve said, his tone dripping with frustration. How were they supposed to help Marina if he had absolutely no knowledge on what they could possible want her for? It didn't make any sense for them to take an innocent young girl.

"It's uncontrollable." He said slowly. "Her mother never used it. There didn't seem to be a limit…"

Now they were getting somewhere. But this set off red flags in Steve's head almost immediately. Tony had known that his daughter was a ticking time bomb that could be used as a weapon of mass destruction… But he chose not to tell anyone.

"You mean HYDRA has taken her and she has limitless uncontrollable power." He said slowly, his furry dripping from every word.

"Not exactly." Tony winced.

"What does that even mean?" Steve snapped. This was no time for Tony to be his usual vague self. Dancing around the topic and speaking I riddles. He was obviously avoiding the topic because it caused him pain.

"It means…. I don't know!" He exclaimed, eyes wide. "I don't say it often, but I really have absolutely no idea. Her mother never learned to control it!"

"What happened to her mother Tony?" Steve asked slowly.

Tony's frame immediately froze. He went completely rigid, like someone had just poured ice water all over him. This was easily the most uncomfortable Steve had ever seen Tony.

"I don't want to talk about it." He ground out slowly.

"Tony-"

"I love my daughter." Tony interrupted. "If it would help I would tell you, but it won't."

"Alright." Steve sighed, holding up his hands in surrender. Steve decided to change the subject. They were obviously getting no were on the current topic. "There's something else. Marina's locket.."

"What about it?" Tony asked. He sounded slightly afraid. Steve had no idea how Tony felt. He literally had what he cared most about carried by force out of his home. And by his best friend.

"The Winter Solider had it." Steve said slowly.

"Tin man?" Tony asked, the shock evident in his voice.

"Uhm.." Tin man? "Yeah I guess."

"What's he doing with her locket?" Tony ground out.

"He had it wrapped around his wrist." Steve reported, recalling the event clearly. He remembered the dark look in Bucky's eyes when Steve had laid eyes on it. "When I saw it and said her name, he got angry."

"Do you think he's hurting her?" Tony whispered desperately.

"No!" Steve snapped immediately. "He's not like that. He wouldn't be able to hurt her. He couldn't."

James Barnes was a gentleman, he would never ever lay a hand on a women. Especially not one as good and pure as Marina Stark. She was a little angel. Young and innocent. Bucky always had a soft spot for good girls. She probably reminded him of one of his sisters. They both had shared red hair.

The image of The Winter Soldier pushing Marina's hair back became clearer now. He was probably comforting her. Not hurting her.

"Wouldn't hurt her?" Tony said, suspicion dripping from his tone. "You sound awfully familiar with this assassin Cap."

That's when Natasha decided it was a good time to chime in.

"Steve didn't mention that The Winter Soldier is one of his war buddies from the 1940s." Tony's jaw dropped, head snapping to Steve. "The Winter Soldier is as old as Steve and just as strong."

Steve shot Natasha a look. Her response was to simply shrug. Steve turned his attention back to Tony.

"Bucky wouldn't be able to hurt her." He tried to reason. "He was a good man. A charmer actually." Steve reminisced. Bucky always had a girl on his arm.

"You better hope Tin Man isn't 'charming' my daughter!" Tony had turned pink in his anger, pointing his finger in Steve's direction.

"I didn't mean it like that Tony.." Steve tried to reason. Tony looked like he was about to scream at him some more. But something interrupted them. Someone.

"If you two are done arguing!" A voice interrupted. A familiar voice. One that Steve thought was long gone.

Nick furry was alive.

 **Thank you so much for all of your reviews, favorites, and follows. I am so excited that you all appreciate my story. Let me know what you think! Leave a review and I will shout you out in the next chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'm having a bit of a hard time. I applied for a promotion and am really stressing over whether or not I'm going to get it. I've worked so hard over the past year, but I still feel like my work is overshadowed. Not due to someone preforming better than me, but due to favoritism. It's really been worrying me and stressing me out. Anyway, I didn't get many reviews last chapter! That makes me sad** **L** **please leave reviews! They make me so happy and excited when I wake up and see them. Please continue to favorite and review. The story is going to pick up a bit from here. I also updated a few past chapters! Let me know if you want me to add any fluff to past chapters. Cute little things you wants to see!**

James and Mina had fallen into a small routine. He could still see Marina Stark shining through the new persona that was forced upon her. Mina was intelligent. She picked up on things quickly. Whenever she was taught a task, she mastered it within a day. It was comical how he could watch the way the gears in her head would turn. When she was confused, her delicate nose would scrunch up and she would purse her lips.

HYDRA has insulted her intelligence by forcing her to do laundry deep within the base. She had been given the task to wash and fold all the agents clothes day in and day out. He could tell that she was getting bored, the task not stimulating enough for her brain. He still enjoyed sneaking glances at her. Watching her fold clothes had brought back a memory to his mind. A women hanging clothes on a line and a man who looked like her husband sneaking up behind her for a kiss. The man looked like him. But older. The image made him long for something as normal as that.

He knew it was unlikely.

She still rambled. Mina would often talk out loud to herself. He could tell when she was annoyed with the tasks that HYDRA would give her. She still asked him random questions.

But she had changed some also.

While Marina Stark would never shrink from an adventure, Mina would never stray far from him. She scared easily whenever someone she didn't know tried to talk to her or approach her. If there were others in the room, she would be sure to hide herself behind him. She would only peek around his wide frame when she was being talked to directly. She wasn't sure if she was afraid or just overly cautious. She would become distressed when he had to leave.

She wasn't afraid to tell him she wanted him around either. She would miss him when he was gone. Mina was always eager to simply sit next to him after he returned from hunting Captain America each day. He remembered a particular instance quite vividly.

 _Mina and James had been sitting on the bed together. Reading. He had been so relieved when he discovered her talent for reading hadn't disappeared with her memories. It was probably because it was only the first wipe. She had been leaning into his side with a smile on her face. They had been interrupted when the door opened._

 _"_ _Soldier. We have a mission for you." The voice of an agent said. He could feel Marina tense at his side, gripping the back of his t-shirt tightly. At least it wasn't Rumlow. The man's pride probably prevented him from coming back to the room. He hadn't even looked at Mina since he nearly got his face beaten in._

 _"_ _Understood." He said coldly. He had sat up to begin changing, but Mina had grabbed the front of his shirt in her tiny fist before he could stand. He knew he could move if he wanted to, but the action was taken in order to still him enough to get his attention. He turned to her immediately, seeing the distress in her eyes._

 _"_ _What's wrong Mina?" He asked, gently putting his hand over hers._

 _"_ _I worry for you." She whispered, looking down like it was something to be embarrassed about. He felt the corners of his lips pull up. This innocent little creature worried for his safety. He had killed so many people and she still fussed over him. It made that warmth in his chest spread, warming his entire body. He had no idea what he had done to deserve something so wonderful. James gripped her chin gently in his hand, pulling her face up to look at him._

 _Her forehead was still creased with worry. He gently smoothed out the worry lines on her face, before rubbing her cheek with his thumb in soothing circles. He smiled more broadly at her when she leaned into his hand, touched by her worry for him. Mina visibly relaxed when he did._

 _She had quickly figured out that he didn't speak much. Him touching her gently was his way of soothing her._

 _He released her, shrugging out of his t-shirt to put on his tactical gear. He could feel her eyes burning into him. He was about to drop the shirt to the floor, when her voice interrupted his thoughts._

 _"_ _Can I have it?" She whispered._

 _"_ _What?" He asked, eyebrows pulling together._

 _"_ _The shirt." She said. Her voice was small._

 _"_ _Why?" He asked. His nose had scrunched together in confusion._

 _"_ _I miss you when you're away." She said, looking down. "The shirt smells like you. It helps."_

 _More warmth in his chest. When he would come home, he would indeed often find her sleeping on his side of the mattress with her nose buried in the sheets. He didn't sleep, but that's where he sat to watch over her. He handed her the shirt without another complaint._

When he had come home from his mission that night, he was surprised to find her normal attire discarded on the floor. She was curled up in bed with his black t-shirt. It was big on her, reaching her mid-thigh and hanging off one of her shoulders. She had looked so beautiful to him at that moment. He was sure the girl had to be angel. One sent to him to light up his own personal hell. He had thought that was where she belonged. In his bed. Waiting for him every night.

She was precious to him.

But he hadn't kissed her. Not since that night. He knew she didn't remember the time they had spent together. The late nights reading or her ramblings about her father. He wanted her to care for him again, like he cares for her, before touching her like that. It would take time, but he could be patient.

It didn't feel right to touch her like that knowing it was most likely because of this attachment that was forced upon her.

He turned his attention to her. She was sitting at the edge of the bed, trying to tame her wild hair. She couldn't figure out how to get the curls to stay out of her face. James knew that there was nothing Mina hated more than hair in her face. He could tell she was getting frustrated because of the small huffs of annoyance that were leaving her lips.

It was rather cute at first, but her squirming was becoming irritating after a while. It reminded him of what he had taken from her. She would know how to fix her hair if it wasn't for him.

He stood above her, gripping both her wrists gently.

"Stop fussing with it." James demanded.

"I can't stop!" She snapped, snatching her hands back and pushing her hair out of her face in a huff. "It won't stay out of my face and I can't see already!"

"Tie it up then." James said simply.

The pained look she shot up at him made guilt instantly pool in his belly. He knew this feeling all too well. Sensing that you know how to do something, but not being able to pull the memory to the surface. She really didn't remember.

"I can't." She whispered, her voice sounding lost and broken. She looked away from him and at the floor.

James sighed.

He had sat behind her, running his fingers through her hair to remove the tangles. She looked like she was going to question him but he quietly took the ribbon from her hands. He had seen her do this plenty of times, so he was somewhat confident in his ability to replicate the hair style. He took the top layer of hair, securing it in bow loosely at the back of her head. It was messier than how she normally did it, but at least her hair was out of her face.

"Thank you." She whispered, looking up at him. He could see how the light had reentered her eyes. It was always the smallest things he did for her that would make her light up like a beautiful star. Her eyes were full of admiration. _Admiration he didn't deserve._

"How sweet." They were being watched. He felt Marina instantly shift closer to him, gripping his arm tightly. "No need to hide from me sweetheart. Your body guard here has seen to it that no one in this building will touch you." His attention turned to James. "You're needed."

The man left as quietly as he came in.

James had begun to suit up, strapping guns and other weapons to various parts of his body. She was staring at him, fear clenching in her gut. Mina knew that something was going to happen today. She could feel it in her gut. Something was wrong.

"James." A quiet voice interrupted.

He looked up at her, raising his eyebrows.

"I have a feeling." She whispered. "Something bad is going to happen."

"It'll be okay." He soothed gently.

"Promise?" She asked.

"Yes."

PIERCE POV

Alexander Pierce was going to win. Loss was not an option, not in HYDRA. His sources told him that Nick Fury had survived. How he managed to fake his own death was a question for another time. He had called for The Soldier a few moments prior. Captain America had also managed to escape detection with the Black widow for far too long.

Pierce knew that The Solider was stalling. He did not want to track down and kill a man he was just beginning to remember. A man from his past that could help restore the memories that he's lost. Pierce was proud of himself. He had foreseen this happening. That's where the Stark girl comes in handy. He has become overly attached to her, just like he intended.

The Winter Soldier wouldn't let his little love be hurt. Not even for Steve Rogers.

Pierce heard him enter the room.

"Fury survived." He informed the Soldier, turning from his desk. "How many bullets did you put in him?"

"Three." Came the automated reply. Funny how he could still make his voice sound so devoid of life. He had heard how he spoke to the girl. The whispered shared between them were always soft. For him anyway. It was so different from how he acted around others. It made Pierce want to laugh.

"I have to hand it to him, the bastard just won't die. Our timeline has been moved up." He informed The Soldier. "With Fury aware of our intention, Project Insight is going to launch much sooner. I can only imagine that he and his band of followers are going to attempt to stop us."

The Winter Soldier only tilted his head slightly to indicate that he was still listening.

"They are going to attempt to replace the targeting software. That's the only reasonable course of action they can take." Pierce laughed. "They are fools if they believe that I don't know this."

The Winter Soldier still only nodded.

"The Captain will be there." Pierce began slowly.

"Understood." The Soldier said.

"You will kill him this time." Pierce emphasized each word carefully. He could see how The Soldier tensed. So he really didn't want to hurt his friend from the past. Captain Rogers couldn't escape this time. Without the super soldier on their side, he knew Fury's little team would be unable to stop him.

"Understood." Came the same reply.

"I don't think you do." Pierce said thoughtfully. "You allowed your feelings to get in the way the last time you two met. Your error allowed him to escape. Not only that, you have taken a suspiciously long amount of time to track them down. I say that you are going soft. There is no room for failure this time."

"Understood." He said. His voice had faltered slightly then. So he was correct.

"To ensure that you _understand_ , we are going to take out some insurance." Pierce said, the cruel way his voice twisted in the end made James stomach clench. He gestured toward his laptop. "Watch."

It was his quarters. He could see Marina had chosen to go back to sleep after he had helped her fix her hair. Her small frame was hugging a pillow. James knew that this wasn't good. The feeling of unease deep in his stomach returned. Agents had rushed into the room almost immediately after that.

"Mina!" He shouted at the screen. He had turned to leave, to save her. He couldn't let them hurt her, not again. James never wanted to see her look at him with fear like she had when she first woke up after being wiped.

"If you leave this room, I'll order them to shoot her." Pierce said simply. "She'll be dead long before you make it to her. Now watch."

This made him freeze. He turned his attention back to the computer screen obediently. Marina was in handcuffs, being pushed out of the room. She was still wearing one of his shirts. James felt like a fool. He should have known he couldn't put off killing the familiar man forever. Because of his stupidity Marina was being taken from him.

"She's going to be on one of those ships, locked inside of an airtight cage. If you fail, Project Insight will fail. And she will die. Take too long, she will also die." Pierce explained to James. Every word he said caused James to become more and more tense. "We're timing you. Every minute extra you take, the oxygen will be drained from within her little prison. If you succeed, she'll be back with you before tomorrow night. Do you understand?"

James wasn't paying attention anymore. He was trying to concentrate on his breathing. Trying to control his anger. If he killed Pierce, Mina would be killed as well. His shoulders were sense with a barely contained rage.

"I asked you a question Soldier." Came Pierces voice. He could see that James was struggling. He was taunting him.

"Yes. I understand." He ground out.

Pierce smiled. There the defiance was.

"Good. Move."

 **emily88034: That's what I was thinking! I know it will be very intense emotionally for her. Thank you for reviewing! I appreciate that you review every chapter. Are there any sweet moments you want to see in the future?**

 **NoVacancyMind: I think that I am for sure going to have them be married in a little town somewhere. It's going to be very sweet. I think it would make the most sense for him to tell her what actually happened! We'll see. Thank you so much for reviewing.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you so much for all of your feedback! Please continue to read, review, and give me suggestions! Do you have any ideas for cute little fluffy moments between james and marina? Let me know! I am trying to think of how I want this plot to go and you guys have given me so many great ideas!**

They had taken her. Dragged her out of the room they shared together. It made James angry. He wanted to ripe anyone and anything that got to close to him apart. HYDRA knew that rage made him that much more effective. He knew that he didn't have time to lose. If he took too long the message was clear. They would kill her.

When they reached SHIELD, he wasted no time. James had split off from the other HYDRA agents. They had their mission, and it was to ensure that the helicarries got into the air. James mission was to destroy Captain America before he could put up much of a fight. He needed to find the target, and quickly. He had no idea how much time Marina had. The threat was lingering in the back of his mind.

He had heard the man's voice over the loud speaker, attempting to inspire any agents that were not loyal to HYDRA to fight back. It didn't take a genius to guess that the target was going to be heading to the helicarriers.

He did his best to blend in, moving through SHIELD towards the flight deck. He didn't have time to worry about some SHIELD agent with a conscience trying to slow him down. He would kill them for attempting to get in his way. But most of all James would kill them for slowing him down. He didn't care for anything in this world besides that stupid little girl. Not even himself. It made him even angrier to think of how she had managed to weasel her way under his skin so easily. By the time he had reached the flight deck, the helicarriers were already in the air.

Likely with the Captain and Marina inside.

He needed a plane. The deck was overrun by SHIELD pilots that were attempting to get in the air to help the captain. He needed to get rid of them and quickly. He picked up a discarded missile launcher from the ground, it would cause the most damage and kill the most people. It was the most effective. He didn't have time to fight each and every one of them. It would cause a large amount of destruction, take out almost all the planes, and take the least time. He destroyed almost everything in his path.

After all, he only needed one plane.

He shot again at another plane that was attempting to take off, before trading his weapon for an automatic. He was a sharp shooter, hitting most the men who tried to attack him in places they couldn't hope to recover from. One man had attempted to throw a grenade at him, but James had disposed of him quickly. However the grenade still rolled forward towards him. Thinking quickly, James picked up the ammo and tossed it into a plane that was readying for takeoff.

The pilots had abandoned trying to get off the ground at that point. They had turned their attention to trying to stop The Winter Soldier. It was easy for James to block the bullets with his metal arm, but that didn't stop the pilots from agitating him. They were slowing him down. Just seconds could be what saves Marina from dying. The last remaining plane had a pilot inside of it, but that was of no consequence.

He shot the pilot in the head through the glass before yanking him unceremoniously out of the aircraft. The Winter Soldier took his place in the cockpit. He knew the helicarrier highest in the air was were the target would be.

James had surprisingly arrived before the Captain did. It made him more confidant in the fact that he was moving quickly. He could save her.

He could hear the Captain Land on the deck moments later. He could hear a second voice, it sounded like it belonged to the other man that had been on the highway. The two voices were getting closer, he had to take the first down quickly. The other would attack within seconds of him tackling the first. The Winter Soldier launched himself from his hiding space, sending the Captain flying off the helicarrier.

The man from the car had tried to go after him immediately. James metal arm reached out and snatched one of his metal wings just as the man attempting to rescue his comrade. He ripped him backwards, causing his flight pattern to falter. When he had regained his stability the man had begun to shoot at him. James frustration was becoming apparent as he became more and more violent. He needed to make sure the Captain was dead. Then he was free to go and find Marina.

His patience had run out. The man had again attempted to go after the Captain, but James was too quick. He sent a grappling hook to attach to his mechanical wings and with a hard yank, had him crashing back into the ground. James advanced on him, snapping one wing from his back and sent a swift kick to his chest. It sent him tumbling off after the Captain with no way to continue flying.

He looked over to admire his handiwork, but to his frustration the Captain was climbing up the side of the hull.

 _Steve POV._

He was close. Just one more replacement and he would save millions. He ran up the ramp.

But before he reached his destination, he saw something reflect in the sunlight. A glass cylinder cage was place near the port. Odd. The glass was screwed into the ground, with vents that seemed to be blowing air inside. It took him a moment, but he saw a small familiar shaking redheaded form inside.

"Marina?" He called out, a smile and disbelief straining his voice. The figures head snapped up. It was her. She looked worse for were. Her hair was tangled and tied into a blue ribbon but still tumbling down her back in wild curls. Her clothes were different since he had last seen her on the video tape. She was wearing a large black t-shirt which was obviously not her own. She had no pants or shoes, only little black socks to cover her feet. This was there way of trying to stop him? It was strange, but no less effective.

She was a little thinner since he had last saw her, but she seemed to be overall clean and well taken care of. She was disheveled, but still lovely. There were faded bruises on her shoulder and arms, some littering her chin like she had been grabbed to hard. He could see no other physical injuries. The only oddity about her appearance was the locket from her father was missing from her neck.

What shocked him most was her eyes. They looked confused, like she was trying to place something but couldn't. It reminded him of the look Bucky had shot at him when he called out to him. It almost looked like…. She didn't recognize him.

"What did they do to you?" He asked, more to himself than her. She shrunk back further. She was frightened of him. He could see it in her eyes. It made sense if they had done to her whatever they did to Bucky. But he could also tell she was in there. Fighting. He could see it in the confusion in her eyes. Her brain wanted to fight against whatever they had done to her. He put his hand on the glass slowly, to show he meant no harm. She eyed it warily, but listened as he started to speak.

"It's me! It's Steve." He said, quickly trying to help her remember. "I'll get you out of there. I will. Tony's here helping out to. He'll be so happy to see you. I just have to fix this." He said holding up the little computer chip. Steve had been smiling by the end of his proclamation. Today might actually end well. He could save millions and his friend would have his daughter back.

She had approached the glass slowly, before raising her own hand. She lay her small hand were his larger one was currently on the glass. He took this as her accepting his help.

He quickly got to work, but heard footsteps approaching. He turned to see the eyes of The Winter Soldier, his former best friend staring up at him. Bucky's eyes had never been so empty. They were always full of laughter and life, not like the empty blue pools that stared at him.

He looked back at Marina. Her attention had snapped to where The Winter Soldier was standing and to his surprise it looked like she exhaled in _relief,_ her tiny palms pressing against the glass. Looking at Bucky like a savior. That couldn't be.

"People are going to die, Buck. I can't let that happen." Steve called out to Bucky. People had already died. He didn't want to see anymore fall pray to HYDRA. But Bucky's eyes weren't even on him, he wasn't even paying attention to Steve. They were behind him. Looking at Marina stuck in the small cage. He looked _angry_. His fists were clenched tightly, and he was breathing stiffly out through his nose.

But he also looked frightened. The same relief he saw in Marina was reflected in Bucky's eyes.

He didn't like how the Captain was trying to stand between them. He could see her small form trying to peer around him, trying to see James. She had pressed both of her hands to the glass as if she didn't believe he was real. James could hear a hissing from inside the cage. They had started to remove the oxygen. It was probably to small amount for her to notice, but it wouldn't be long before she was chocking for breath.

James pushed the Captains nickname for him back into his brain. He didn't need to be remembering now, if he remembered he might hesitate. If he hesitated for just a second, they would begin to suck the air from the vents bellow Mina's feet faster. James didn't react at all.

"Please don't make me do this." The targets voice pleaded. When James still didn't react, The Captain sent his shield flying at him. James barely had time to deflect it with his arm before it would have hit him in the gut. He quickly pulled out his handguns from their holsters and sent off several rounds at the captain. He could tell one hit there mark when he heard a yelp. He was hit again by the shield, causing him to drop both of his guns, which slid to the glass platform bellow.

That's when he heard a thump. Mina. She had fallen to her knees, she was turning slightly blue as well. The air. Her hands were still pressed against the glass, she looked like she was attempting to catch her breath. _He didn't have time for this._ The Captain hadn't noticed her desperate and shallow breaths. He probably thought she was just panicking. The idiot was going to watch her die under the ruse he was saving her.

With a frustrated shout, he charged for the captain, separating him from his shield, and causing both of them to tumble over the side of the ramp. He still had a perfect view of Marina from bellow. He supposed that's why HYDRA made her cage out of glass. If he was this close and failed, he would have to watch her suffer and die. What could he do but watch?

If he shot the glass, he risked hitting her. But she would die anyway if he didn't at least try.

James quickly snatched the small computer chip. The Captain was trying to use it for something, likely this is what reprogrammed the ships. He couldn't allow him to have it. He also found his guns. Marina had fallen to the floor, her head leaning up against the glass. She was looking at him. She didn't look afraid, just content to see his face before slipping into unconsciousness. She was out of harm's way now, if he could shoot a hole in the glass it would buy him all the time he needed. It would allow air to flow into her little cage.

He took aim.

The Target had come at him from the side, knocking them both to ground. He had dropped both the little computer chip and the guns. The Target picked them up quickly, sending a kick into James chest, before running to attempt to climb the platform.

He had a decent head start, but The Winter Soldier had sent the captains own shield hurdling into his side. The pain had distracted the Captain long enough to allow James to send one of his knives flying into his shoulder. It bought James enough time to grab what he needed. The gun.

Marina needed air.

"No!" He heard the captain yell, but it was drowned out by the two bullets he had sent shattered into the glass about a foot above Minas head. He saw her immediate intake of breath. It worked. Her breathing was erratic, but James could see her blinking coming back into consciousness.

He looked down to see the captain looking shocked. Good. He was distracted long enough for James to return the kick to the chest that he had received earlier. He picked up the device. He could complete his mission.

Her head hurt. Her tongue felt like sandpaper. Her lungs burned. She could feel shattered glass littering her chest and legs. He had done it. He had saved her.

She turned her head and saw him staring at her. The relief in his eyes was unmistakable. She smiled widely at him, sitting up slowly. They would be together.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the familiar man from earlier begin to advance on him. She had opened her mouth to warn him, but to her horror, her cry had come too late. He was knocked to the ground and quickly flipped so his arm was being pulled back at an odd angle.

"Let go." She heard the blonde man demand. James simply squared his jaw. She knew him well. The man was stubborn. He had no intention of dropping whatever was in his hands. But she could see the reluctance on the other man's face. He had no desire to hurt James. She could see the concern in his eyes.

The man's demand only cause James to grip onto the device harder. She saw the man pull back James' arm, the sickening crack echoed throughout the room. James had yelled out in pain. Her mouth had dropped open in horror.

"James!" She yelled, banging her open palms on the glass. She needed to get out of here, she needed to save him. The two bullets had shattered the glass, causing it to stick out in jagged angles. The holes were large, but not large enough for her to squeeze through. She looked back at him and he still didn't stop fighting. The glass cut into her hands, causing blood to pour out of the wounds. The pain did nothing to stop her.

She couldn't live without him.

She had no idea why. Something deep in her gut told her that. The man had pulled him into a chock hold. She was forced to watch as the life drained out of his eyes. She was becoming desperate and angry. She was going to have to sit by and watch as he died. She wouldn't. She could feel her head start to pound, sharp pains shooting into her skull. She was losing control. Over what, she had no idea.

She screamed. Loudly and clenching her fists. She could feel something that could only be described as power flowing through her body. She heard the glass shatter.

When she opened her eyes, the glass was floating around her. _Had she done this?_ She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. _Her eyes._ They were completely and utterly black. Empty. She watched as they widened in horror, but slowly returned to brown.

She had other things to worry about right now.

James was passed out on the floor, the other man hadn't killed him. She knew this man hadn't wanted to kill him. But in her anger and desperation she had destroyed the cage she was placed in. She quickly made her way to him, shaking his good shoulder. He stirred, before his eyes fluttered open. They were confused and bleary.

"Mina." She smiled and nodded, pushing some of his messy hair out of his face. His eyes slowly darkened, looking up to where the man had run off to. He seemed to be attempting to reprogram the ship.

He gently pushed her off him, reaching for his last gun.

He aimed and shot the man in the leg. It wasn't enough to stop him from completing his quest. It had only slowed him down. He shot him again, this time hitting him in the shoulder. He slowed down a little more, but continued his work still. One more shot. That's all it would take. Then Marina would be safe.

James shot The Captain a third time. It was a perfect shot, going straight through his back. That is when the target faltered, falling to his knees. James breathed out a sigh of relief, a bit too soon. The Captain braced himself on the railing and completed his task.

It didn't take long for James to figure out what they had intended to do. The helicarriers began to shoot at one another. He quickly began thinking of ways for them to escape. A canon fired, hitting near the spot they had been standing. He saw the support beam falling. He barely had enough time to shove Marina away, before it had pinned him to the ground.

"James!" He heard her tiny voice squeak. She had rushed to his side almost immediately. He wanted to reach for her. To touch her. But both his arms were pinned. There was no way he would be able to lift the beam off of him. Not with a dislocated arm.

But she could survive this. The man, he knew her. He would save her.

"Go to the man up there." He whispered, gesturing to were Steve was slumped on the floor.

"What?" She asked, voice laced with confusion. She gripped onto the front his vest a little tighter.

"He'll take you out of here." James responded, looking into her eyes. She had started to shake her head wildly.

"Not without you!" She snapped at him.

"We don't have another choice." He whispered gently.

"I won't leave you here." She whispered to him. He could see it in her eyes. The determination. There was something else in her eyes as well. Something much deeper than simply caring for him. She meant to stay here and die with him. He wished he could reach out and touch her. She leaned her head against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.

He's lost. They were both going to die because of _him_. He is the one who kidnapped her from her home. He was probably entranced by her even then. He remembered how she looked sleeping, hugging a pillow. She lost her memories because of him. Now she was going to lose her life. Because of his foolish obsession with her. A memory came to his mind. One of his few good memories. One that made so much more sense to him.

 _"For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo." Marina finished, closing the book in her lap. "What did you think?"_

 _James thought on it for a few minutes, occasionally looking back to Marina. The feeling that was tugging in is gut didn't make much sense. This isn't how stories were supposed to end. It was an empty feeling. It wasn't quite rage. He could understand anger. But not this feeling._

 _What was the word?_

 _Sad. This book had made him sad._

 _"That was sad." He replied finally. She looked at him with a small smile on her face. There was pain in her eyes. Was it pain for him?_

 _"It's supposed to be sad." She said, laughing gently. "It's a tragedy."_

 _He felt bad for the two young lovers. He had been silently rooting them on, wishing them happiness. When they didn't get the happy ending, James felt his sad. Something he hadn't felt. Not in years. James didn't understand Romeos logic._

 _"I don't understand." He said finally._

 _"What don't you understand?" She asked._

 _"Why he wanted her." James said, his eyebrows furrowed. The boy must have known his desire would only lead to his destruction. Their families despised one another. Their families had killed one another. He should have known better. If he had been smarter or more careful, he would still have what he wanted. "It was his own fault she died."_

 _"You've never wanted anything you can't have?" Marina laughed._

 _"I don't know. No." What he wanted sat in front of him. So he didn't need to want it. He couldn't remember from his past however. But James didn't think himself a fool enough to desire something so unattainable. "He knew he shouldn't but he took her anyway."_

 _"No, no, no. You are entirely missing the point." Mina said shaking her head. "He didn't just take her. She took him to. They knew what the risks were when they fell in love, but they couldn't stop it. You can't choose who you love. Love is a something your heart controls, not your brain. It isn't logical. Not always."_

 _"It's foolish." James said simply, crinkling his nose._

 _"Yes." Marina said pausing. "Yes, it is foolish."_

Foolish. It was his desire to have something unattainable that had led them here. She was his Juliet. His weakness. He was going to die because he had started to care for her. But did he regret it? Not at all. She had given him some of the happiest and brightest moments of his life. Or what he could remember of it. She had chosen to stay with him. Till the end. He understood now.

He supposed dying together was better than what would have happened if HYDRA had gotten ahold of them after this failure. James was drawn from his thoughts when the captain came to stand over him.

The captain's eyes flitted between him and Mina. His eyes lingered were her head lay on his chest. Were his heart was. He looked confused, but the understanding came over him quickly. Then he began to lift the beam off of him. Marina's eyes lit up as she pulled away and saw what was happening. He stood shakily to his feet, Marina still on her knees behind him. There was still a chance for him to finish this.

"You know me." The Captain insisted once he had succeeded in freeing James. It hurt his brain. Anytime something reminded him of the past, it felt like acid had been poured into his brain. He didn't remember him! The man looked familiar, but that was it.

"No I don't!" James shouted, flinging his metal arm at the captain, only to be blocked by his shield.

The pain on The Captains face confused him.

"Bucky, you've known me your whole life." His voice sounded broken. That name. He hated it. It made his skull burn. His hesitation seemed to give the man hope. He swung his arm at the man again, trying to let out his pain and frustration.

"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes." The Captain insisted. He could see that the name registered with James, but he didn't understand the pain it caused him. James remembered the name. But he didn't remember anything about the man he was or the memories from his past. He remembered Marina whispering the same words to him. They sounded so much sweeter coming from her lips. They didn't hurt him like this. Another pain shot through his head.

"Shut up!" James shouted. He was shouting at the captain. But he was also shouting at his own brain. It was trying so hard to bring back memories of what he once was.

"I'm not going to fight you." He whispered, defeated. "You're my friend." He watched as the captain dropped his shield into the river.

"You're my mission." James said, tackling him to the ground. He could hear Marina protesting, begging him to stop but he couldn't. This is what he was trained for. He was made for this. He needed to kill Captain America. He kept hitting him in the face. Over and over.

"James!" He heard her. His little angel. She wanted to redeem his soul but she didn't realize how far gone he truly was. He didn't turn around when she had cried out for him. "Stop this! You don't have to do this!"

Yes he did. After this, he would take her and run. Somewhere else. Somewhere far away. They would never be seen or heard from again. They would live the rest of their lives happy and together. He snapped his arm back again, but a small weight settled upon it.

"Please stop." Her voice sobbed. Marina. She had wrapped both her arms around his metal arms and dropped her weight. Her eyes had tears in them. She leaned against his shoulder. "You're better than this."

No. He wasn't. Her faith in him was sweet. He slowly kissed her cheek. It was an apology, because he turned his attention back to his target.

But another voice stilled him, one that was struggling and laced with pain. "Finish it. Cause I'm with you till the end of the line." A memory then pulsed through his mind. A scrawny version of the man before him, looking terribly sad. More memories threatened to pour out into the open. He remembered Steve.

 _Steve._ A name. He didn't remember specifics. But he knew this man had once meant a great deal to him.

A crash distracted him from his thoughts. He looked up in time to see another beam was falling towards them and into the river, taking the glass floor with it. He knew he couldn't save them both. Quickly adjusting to save the girl, he had managed to grip onto a beam with his metal arm, Marina still wrapped around it. The man tumbled into the river.

How were they going to escape? A million different ways blew through James brain. He had made it out of worse. At least it was water beneath them, not solid ground. But the man still lingered in his mind. It wouldn't take much extra effort to save him.

"You have to save him." She whispered in his ear. Her words had convinced him immediately.

"I know." He agreed. He gestured to the east side of the river bank. "You see the edge of the water?"

She nodded.

"I'm going to let go." He felt her grip him tighter. She was afraid. I suppose most people weren't used to life threatening situations. "When we hit the water, swim there. I can't help him and worry for you with only one arm. Understand?"

"Yes." She whispered.

"Hold tight." He said, kissing her gently on the forehead.

The drop was a lot higher than she expected. She supposed it was most likely because her depth perception wasn't the greatest. But the fall hadn't been the worst part. It was the water. The water was cold. Cold wasn't even the right word. It was freezing. But she did as he requested, forcing her frigid limbs to propel her through the water. She had reached the bank quickly, huddling on the sand and trying to absorb the sun.

It had taken a few minutes, but she quickly saw James emerging form. He was dragging the familiar man behind him. He pulled him up onto the beach, were Marina crawled closer to inspect him.

Her eyebrows furrowed, the feeling of familiarity settling in her stomach. Did _she_ know him? She felt in her gut that she did. She recognized his voice and his boyish looks. She thought she remembered another man, an older one. He was poking fun at this one. Calling him capsicle. Who was he? She felt warmth in his quirky grin.

"Come on Mina." James voice interrupted her thoughts.

She nodded, but continued to stare. The memories were right there. On the very edge of her memory. Perhaps if she stared a little longer they would come flooding out. She reached out, trailing a hand down his cheek in her confusion.

"We need to go. Now." His voice sounded angry.

"I know him…" She whispered, the conflict in her voice evident.

"You don't." He insisted. Was he right? Had HYDRA put those memories in her head? Were they even real? He wouldn't lie to her. She had begun to move away, but a large hand caught her wrist.

"Marina?" The man's confused voice whispered. He had her confused. James must have been right. Her brain so desperately wanted to remember something that it was creating false memories. Marina. That wasn't here name.

Was it?

"Come on." He grunted, grabbing her by her upper arms and hauling her to her feet. He had dropped something by the injured man's legs. It looked like a necklace. He tugged her hand, a silent request to follow him.

"Where we going?" She asked, looking curiously into the trees.

"Far from here."

 **This is the plot point I'm thinking about. Let me know what you think!**

 **1) They fall in love slowly but surely. He takes care of her and starts to realize what he did was wrong. That what he didn't wasn't something you do to somebody that you love. When they run away together, I may have them be married in a little village somewhere. But she also begins to remember slowly. She is discovering her powers, when it all comes through all at once (not sure when.) He comes back and she either points a gun at him or actually shoots him. Idk yet! Let me know what you think and what you wanna see!**

 **2) Orrr this happens but instead of her remembering, the guilt eats him up and he admits it himself.**

 **Shout out time! Please leave questions and a review If you want to be shouted out in the next chapter!**

 **GetLegsBish-Aiya- Hi and Welcome to my story! I am so glad that you are liking how this is going. I'm so glad that you understand how his character needs to develop. It wouldn't make sense for him to be all the sudden selfless. Please continue to review and give suggestions, they all mean so much to me. I am so excited that you like my other story! As of right now, I lack motivation/inspiration for it that is why its taking me so long to update it.**

 **Gaarasdeath- Yes as of right now I plan that this story will lead into civil war! I already have a plan on what is going to happen hehehe. If you want a sneak peek feel free to let me know and I will PM you! Please keep reviewing! It makes me so happy.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi Guys! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I can't thank you guys enough. I am so happy that my story has been so well received. My goal for this chapter is to reach 200 reviews! Please review or leave me a suggestion. I absolutely love reading what you have to say. If you have any suggestions for fluffy moments you want to see between the two of them, let me know! They have a long way to go, but I'm excited to show you all what I have planned.**

Steve POV.

Steve was beginning to wake up. The first thing he noticed was that everything hurt. His back, his legs, his face. He was sure even his hair had aches and pains. He quickly remembered how he got those aches. HYDRA had been taken down. The helicarriers that threatened the world's security had come down as well.

The unpleasant memories of what happened came flooding back. Bucky. Marina. His friends had looked so lost. So scared.

"You're awake." A snarky voice said. Steve's eyes snapped open in surprise. The light hurt his eyes, probably because they had been closed for so long. When they finally focused, he saw it was Tony sitting next to him. Steve groaned.

"I feel terrible." Steve rasped, testing out his voice. It sounded rough, like it hadn't been used in a while.

"You look it." Tony said seriously. Steve turned slightly to face him. Tony looked pretty rough as well. He had bags under his eyes, so dark they could be bruises.

"You don't look much better." Steve chuckled, his ribs aching at the sudden motion. Steve had thought it was Tony's usual light hearted banter, but he quickly realized something was very wrong. There was a sadness in his eyes. An emptiness.

"Well excuse me." He snapped. "My daughter is still missing, even after HYDRA's destruction. I saw some of the horrifying details of her capture. Nat released everything. HYDRA and SHIELDS dirty laundry. I'll be sure to bring looking nice higher onto my list of priorities."

He thought that HYDRA still had Marina.

"She was there." Steve whispered.

"What?" Tony said, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

"Marina." Steve said. "She was on ship. They put her in a glass cage and started to suck the oxygen out."

He remembered it all too clearly now. How she had been trapped. She looked so afraid of him when he approached the cage, backing up into the furthest corner. He couldn't get her facial expression out of his head. But when she looked at Bucky, it had been like her knight in shining armor had just arrived.

"Where is she now?" Tony's anxious voice interrupted his thoughts. "Did she make it off the ship?"

"Yes." Steve said. "She made it off."

"Do you know where she went?" Tony said, hesitating slightly. He was afraid to ask. Rightfully so.

"She went with him." Steve said. "With Bucky."

"You mean The Winter Soldier." Tony snapped. He was angry, that much was clear. "You mean my daughter left with The Winter Soldier. Your old war buddy isn't in there anymore. He's an assassin. He killed nearly 80 people yesterday on his way to you. He almost killed Sam. Don't forget, it was your pal who put you in that hospital bed. Now tell me everything that happened."

Steve remembered waking up for a moment on the river bed. She had been leaning over him, a confused expression on her face. Her hand had been on his cheek. He remembered Bucky standing behind her. A furious anger burning behind the blue of his eyes. Jealousy? Maybe. He remembered Bucky grabbing her by the upper arms and pulling her away, but not before dropping something at his side.

"He dropped something next to me." Steve recalled. "I remember him grabbing her and pulling her away from me and into the forest."

"Bastard." Tony said angrily. "What did he leave?"

"No idea. I passed out right after. It's probably impounded with the rest of my things." Something seemed really out of place to Steve. If they had kidnapped her for this power she had, why would they risk her being retaken by the Avengers? Would they really have left their most valuable leverage out in the open where it could be taken or destroyed?

"Why was she on the ship in the first place?" Steve wondered out loud.

"To distract us." Tony deadpanned. "Obviously."

Was she there to distract _them_? HYDRA had left her alone and unharmed until Bucky had shown up. That would explain the fear in Bucky's eyes. He was afraid for her. He thought that HYDRA was going to kill her. That's why he had seemed too impatient on the flight deck. So desperate to get past him.

"Maybe." Steve said. "But I don't think she was on that ship to distract us. I think it was to make sure Bucky finished the job."

"Now you're talking nonsense Rogers." Tony rolled his eyes in disgust.

"I'm not. You didn't see them." Steve reasoned. It made so much sense now. "HYDRA was going to suffocate her. I don't think he was trying to fight me for the chip. He was trying to fight past me. When he had the opportunity, he took his guns and turned to her. I thought he was going to shoot her. But he shot the glass so she could breathe."

He remembered how she had gasped and came alive when Bucky shot the glass. Steve had been petrified with fear. Thinking that Bucky had meant to shoot her. To kill her.

"How do you know he didn't just miss his shot?" Tony was all but shouting at this point. "You can't honestly think the assassin cares for her. You didn't read his file. He has quite the record of being cold and emotionless. Not warm and caring."

Bucky was the best shot in the Howling Commandos. Better than Steve, who had enhanced senses at the time. That was also before Bucky had been trained to be a deadly assassin. If he had wanted to hit Marina, he would have. The shot was perfectly clear.

"You should have seen them." Steve said, shaking his head. "I chocked him and all she did was scream for him. When she got out of the cage, she didn't run. He was being crushed by a beam and she tried to save him. When she realized she couldn't, she just laid next to him. Like she was prepared to die."

Tony looked horrified. The disbelief was written across his face. Steve realized at that moment, there was no use trying to convince him. He would have to see it for himself. Tony would continue to believe Bucky was at fault unless he saw how Bucky cared for Marina with his own eyes.

"That doesn't make any sense." Tony snapped back. "She's a smart girl. No way would she fall for something as simple as Stockholm's…"

"Your right." Steve sighed then. Something had been very wrong with her. She wasn't her usual self. Brave. Snarky. "She didn't remember me Tony."

"What?"

"She looked at me like I was a complete stranger." Steve recalled. She had pushed herself all the way into the corner to get as far away from him as she could. She didn't say a word to him. She looked at him, just like Bucky looked at him. Confused.

"What…"

"I think they did to her whatever they did to him. Took away her memories." Steve whispered.

"How?" Tony sounded broken.

"I have no idea. But I don't think he's taking her back to them." Steve tried his best to sound comforting. "I think they're going into hiding. I heard him talking to her…"

"My daughter escaped HYDRA, but now she is with a deadly assassin. Doesn't make me feel much better." Tony said looking down at the floor.

"We'll find her Tony. We'll find them both." Steve resolved. "They can't have gotten far."

 _Mina POV_

They had been walking for what felt like hours. James had been pulling her by the hand alongside him, but she was having trouble keeping pace. Her legs were so much shorter than his, so trying to keep stride with him was impossible. She wasn't an enhanced super soldier either.

At first, her thoughts had distracted her from the pain. She was amazed. James was an _incredible_ assassin. She knew that he was deadly just by looking at him but never had she imagined someone could be so graceful while being lethal. He was tall, body thick with muscles she didn't even know existed. The emptiness she saw in his eyes showed a sadness she would never understand. He was trained to be a killer. Trained not feel emotions or pain. _Attachment_. Mina could tell that he fought with himself more and more every day. He wasn't sure how to care about someone.

She could see how he would flinch away from her touch. It had been that way back at HYDRA to. He would only let her touch him if she was extremely distressed. Even then, it was rare. It was also frustrating. She was the only person she trusted and he wouldn't never let her get to close. He could grab her, push her around. But a display of gentleness was rare. Like he had no idea how to be. And she was never ever allowed to return gestures of affection. He was afraid. Although, she knew he would never admit it.

She recalled how he had kiss her cheek yesterday. He was ready to deliver the killing blow to the other man, so he kissed her cheek. So gently. Like he was apologizing for making her witness it. James had looked conflicted. But Mina still couldn't help the warmth that had spread through her. Like an uncontrollable fire.

Mina wanted to know what they did to him to make him this way. It didn't take long for her to deduce that HYDRA was evil. Whatever was wrong with her memories had been caused by them. The feeling she got in the pit of her stomach was enough evidence for her to know that they were bad news. James had refused to give her any information on what had happened before that day she had woken up.

Mina could tell James loyalty wasn't to HYDRA. He would go out of his way to care for her and make her life easier, even if it was against their orders. He wanted to be more then what they made him. She saw that for certain when she had spared the man in the river.

The frigid air was making it impossible for her soaked hair and clothes to dry. She was so cold she could swear she was going numb. Mina had no shoes to protect her feet either, only a pair of black socks. James didn't look like he was struggling at all. The man was basically a walking space heater. But even his warmth wasn't stopping her from turning blue.

The use of whatever power that lay inside he had also exhausted her. The dull ache in her head would occasionally worsen, causing sharp lightning bolts of pain in her temples. James didn't seem to notice. She could tell by the rigidness of his shoulders that he was still on edge. He was still looking out for danger.

She was getting tired and began to stumble over her own feel. She didn't think she could go on for much longer, not at this pace.

"James." She said, tripping a little as he increased the pace again. It was beginning to hurt her chest to breath. The cold seemed to be eating away at her from the inside. He continued on like he hadn't heard her at all. But she knew better than that. There was no way he wasn't paying attention to every little sound that echoed through these trees.

He didn't respond to her, simply pulling her along behind him. His grip was borderline painful, squeezing tighter anytime a twig snapped.

"James!" She said louder, trying to yank her arm out of his grip. It didn't work, but it succeeded in getting his attention. He stopped walking immediately, his irritation evident.

"What?" He snapped at her. His sudden stop had her nearly slamming into his back. He grabbed her upper arm with his metal hand to help steady her and his irritated gaze immediately softened. She looked exhausted and nearly blue from the cold.

"Please slow down." She whimpered, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "I can't keep up with you."

"HYDRA is looking for us." He ground out. His jaw had a tick in it. "We can't slow down."

"James…" Mina wanted to cry. Her voice was cracked and broken. She was cold, afraid, and half naked. She had unconsciously pressed into him, seeking the comfort of his touch. Something she knew she probably wouldn't receive. But he was just so warm and heat was indescribably irresistible to Mina at the moment. She hadn't noticed how he had been cradling his arm to his chest, until she brushed against it. The way he tensed wasn't from discomfort this time. It was from pain.

She pulled back almost immediately, eyes shooting down to his arm. She had forgotten completely about it. The Captain had popped it out of place in his attempt to stop James. He had gone all this way without complaining once with an arm that was quite possibly broken. She felt stupid for complaining about something as small as being too cold.

"Your arm…" He wasn't looking at her.

"We need to fix it." He growled, the pain lacing the edge of his voice. "I can't fight like this."

Of course that was what he was worried about. Not being able to fight. She worried for him. He should want his arm fixed so he wasn't in pain or so that it wouldn't become worse. Not only wanting it fixed so he could defend them. She was drawn from her thoughts when he began shifting.

"What are you doing?" She asked as he kneeled down next to her. She couldn't help but become…distracted. He was effortlessly handsome. In a rugged sort of way. She wanted to be near him, touch him... But he didn't want that. Didn't want her.

"Showing you how to fix it." He said simply, drawing her from her thoughts. Mina's jaw dropped.

"Me?!" Mina exclaimed. Did he honestly expect her to pop his arm back into place?! Out of all the skills she was confident in, improvised medical procedures were not one among them. She didn't think she was strong enough, never mind did she have the skill to do it.

"Yes." He said, rolling his eyes.

"I can't" She said, shaking her head and kneeling next to him. "I'm not a doctor! I can't even remember what I had for breakfast a week ago. There is no way I'm qualified. What if I end up hurting you worse? There's no way-"

He silenced her with an irritated glance. Those eyes would be the death of her. So cold and blue. The underlying pain in his eyes was enough to shut her up. She put her hands up in defeat.

"Alright, alright. I'll give it a shot." This man had to be mad.

"You need to push from here at this angle." He said, showing her on her own arm. Yep. Definitely crazy. "You need to push as hard as you can or it won't work. Understand?"

"I think so." She said weakly.

Mina stood up to make sure she had the best vantage point. She needed to make this quick. She knew that if she didn't put enough force behind it, he would just end up being in more pain for longer. She couldn't doubt herself. He had a point. He couldn't defend them like this. There was almost no doubt in her mind that HYDRA wasn't far behind.

"If I mess this up don't say I didn't tell you so." She mumbled, pulling his arm into the position he showed her. With a quick push, she heard his arm pop.

"Ah!" He yelled out.

"I'm sorry!" She yelped, dropping his arm immediately and falling on her knees next to him. She knew that he shouldn't have trusted her to do this. She probably broke his shoulder or something.

"No." He said, slightly out of breath. James rolled his shoulder, testing his joints. "No, you did it."

"Thank God…" Mina said, slumping back to the ground. Her head lulled to the side, leaning unconsciously against his shoulder. He tensed, looking down at her. He didn't have the heart to pull away. She looked so tired.

But he knew that they couldn't stay still for long. But she wasn't trained like he was. Mina wasn't trained to go for hours without food, water, or rest. She wasn't trained to ignore pain. But even though she would slow him down, he was willing to take care of her. He needed her.

"Put your arm around my shoulders." He ordered quietly. She looked at him confused, but complied quickly. She trusted him completely. He decided at that moment he would never let HYDRA or anyone take him from her. He was going to take care of her. He was the only thing that he's ever had to himself.

So with that thought in his head, he slipped his arms under her legs and back. He picked her up easily, carrying her close to his chest. He carried her like she weighed absolutely nothing, walking at the same quick pace as before, if not even faster. He didn't have her slowing him down anymore. He didn't talk or look at her, and before she knew it her exhaustion had crept up on her.

She had dozed off against him a couple times, but when she had fully come to her senses again it was dark out. They were at the edge of the trees. When she peered past the tree line, she could see a grocery store, one of the more popular ones in DC. It was closed. He gently set her on her feet before scanning the area further. She looked up at him, with a questioning look in her eyes.

"Clothes." He said.

"Right." She whispered. They couldn't go walking around looking like he did. James looked just as dangerous as he was. The leather and tactical gear would do nothing for them besides draw attention to them. He would need to get something that could cover his weapons easily, as well as help him blend in. They were lucky that long, shaggy hair was a trend at the moment. Mina had no shoes and no pants to keep her warm either. She would freeze to death quickly if she didn't get into something warmer.

He checked numerous times to make sure the coast was clear, before gesturing for her to follow him. He stopped quickly before gripping her chin in his metal hand, causing her to gasp in surprise. He pulled her face up, so she was staring into his icy blue eyes. He looked angry, stressed, and determined all at the same time. She could tell he was in Winter Soldier mode.

"You stay with me." He said seriously, looking into her eyes. "Do you understand? Always were I can see you."

She nodded. He dropped her face and his grip returned to her upper arm.

They moved across the street quickly. It seemed like he had done this countless times. He knew how to break the lock without setting off the alarm or drawing to much attention to himself. He had pulled her through the clothing section of the store. The men's section appeared to be their first destination.

Marina could see that he was already favoring _everything_ black. Black pants, black shirt, black shoes, black jacket. He was going to look like James Bond if he dressed like this. He certainly had the dashing good looks, now he was trying to add the wardrobe. The man knows how to fight, but James certainly knows nothing about blending in.

He saw her staring, so he raised an eyebrow at her. No doubt wondering why she looked like she smelt something bad.

"What are you trying to do?" She said laughing a little, gesturing to the clothes. "Make us look like we're supper spies on the run?"

James rolled his eyes and looked like he was about to ignore her, but she didn't let him. Mina stepped in front of him, placing both her small hands on his arms. She felt him stiffen, but he didn't pull away.

"We want to blend in right?" She asked. When he nodded, she gestured to the clothes. "You're going to stick out like a sore thumb like that! I don't remember much, but I do remember how to dress."

She scooted past him and began picking out a couple outfits for him. He followed close behind her, watching her curiously. Mina had decided on a few plain t-shirts, jeans, and a baseball cap. She had guessed his size, but she was almost positive she got it right. She had a feeling she was good at these kinds of things. She pulled a few plaid shirts off the hangers before pushing them into his arms.

"Try it on." She said with a smile. He dropped the clothes to the floor and immediately began to take off his shirt. The man had no shame. She caught a glimpse of his abdomen before turning to stalk off to the women's section, mumbling about how she was going to find herself some clothes. He shouldn't be ashamed. He was _very_ impressive to look at.

She kept her eyes on the racks, trying to be overly interested in the clothes. It was difficult. She scanned the rows of clothes for something that would keep her warm, but still be comfortable. He had given her a bag to fill up with things she thought she would need. She opted for a long sleeve floral print dress. She found a cardigan to match, with some thick warm tights. She threw in all the essential toiletries, underwear, socks, and a blanket.

She looked in the mirror. _Perfect_. She would blend in just fine. She didn't look like she was trying to hide from anyone, therefor it was the perfect disguise. After all, she had spent about a month without a pair of pants or shoes. If she could be productive in that attire, she knew a dress would be perfectly fine.

James had come up silently behind her, touching the fabric of her dress with his flesh hand. She had jumped, but the look in his eyes had caused her to freeze. He looked like he was critically analyzing her attire. She thought he was going to tell her to change, but what came out of his mouth was entirely different than what she had expected.

"I like this.." He whispered roughly, rubbing the fabric between his thumb and forefinger. He looked handsome in the plaid shirt she had picked out. They could be _normal_ , as far as appearances went.

"Better than no pants." She mumbled, hoping the blush on her cheeks wasn't too obvious. He had just hummed, grabbing both bags in his metal hand. They were making their way to the door.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"We have one more stop to make." He said vaguely.

 _An hour later_

They had stolen an old pickup truck not too far from the store they had broken into. She knew she shouldn't be, but she was surprised at each and every act he performed in order to keep them moving and safe. She had no idea that stealing a car was so complicated.

They had driven for about 30 minutes, when one of The Smithsonian's came into view. The architecture was large and grand. The building was made entirely out of marble. What could James want to see here? She knew better than to ask. It wasn't likely that she was going to get an answer.

"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen something so big." Mina was eyeing the architecture. She was talking more to herself than to him. It was beautiful. She hopped out of the truck, following closely behind him.

"Hmm…" He mumbled, pulling her into The Smithsonian. He never did say much. Again, she was surprised. It had been so easy for him to bypass security. He had snuck into much harder to reach places she was sure. They walked down the endless walkways, twisting and turning until he seemed to find what he was looking for.

"It's the man you dragged out of the water." Mina said, head tilting off to the side. He looked the same as he did after being pulled out of the lake. She felt the tug of familiarity in the back of her skull again. But when she turned, she noticed James attention was drawn somewhere else entirely.

He pulled her along with him to where his attention had been caught. Her mouth nearly dropped open. The man on display was….This man's hair was cropped short, his face cleanly shaven. The man in the pictures eyes were light with happiness, but still that familiar icy blue. It was undoubtablely James. She looked back and forth, confused as ever.

The biggest difference she could see was the emptiness that was in James eyes now. He looked so much more haunted than he did in that picture. He had the look of a man who had seen far too many things.

"It's…. you." She whispered. She read over the history. He was a war hero. They also thought that he had died, fallen off of a cliff. Mina was amazed at all of the good he had done. But he didn't reply. She recognized the look on his face. He was remembering something. She didn't want to interrupt his thoughts, so she continued to read.

James Barnes… Oh god. Were they related? He had said that her last name was Barnes. It would explain a lot. Is that why he flinched every time she touched him? It would be just her luck. She didn't really know what she felt, but it was much more than familial affection. She felt sick to her stomach.

"What's wrong Mina?" James said, immediately noticing her change in demeanor.

"You're James Barnes." She said simply.

"Yes."

"I'm Mina Barnes."

"Yes." He said, the small almost smile returning.

"Are we brother and sister?" She ground out each word, cringing as she said them.

"What? No!" He exclaimed, shaking his head in disgust.

Thank God. She didn't have the hots for her older brother or anything strange like that. That still left the question of why he hated to be touch unanswered.

"Oh." She said, almost sagging to the ground in relief. "Good. Why do we have the same last name then?"

The look he shot her told her she wasn't going to get a response. She didn't push her luck. She was embarrassed enough that she had asked if they were brother and sister. She tried to keep herself distracted by continuing her reading.

He was born when?! 1917.

"You're almost a hundred." She said looking between him and the picture again. He didn't look like he was older than 27. Then the realization came to her own mind. How long had she been imprisoned at Hydra? She couldn't remember much at all. "Am I that old?"

The corner of his lip twitched. It looked like he almost wanted to smile. He shook his head no. Relief rushed through Mina.

"How old am I?" She wondered aloud.

"Twenty." He responded roughly.

"Oh." She mumbled. He seemed to have enough trying to remember his past, quickly gripping her upper arm again.

"Where we going now?" She asked.

"We have a boat to catch." Another vague response.

 **Yay! Shout out time! Please leave a review for this chapter with an idea that you want to see in the future! Chances are I will use it!**

 **CloudsplashSummer: I think that you are totally right. She would be really bitter and angry if she found out on her own. It would take a lot for them to grow back together, but I think that they could do it! Thank you so much for the review, please continue to let me know what you think!**

 **Timikpaki: Hello! Thank you so much for your review. I can deff she her getting pregnant (not very soon, but eventually). James isn't a man of many words so he shows his affection physically. And often lol. So it would be very possible that they don't have access to proper birth control or protection (or even think about it for that matter). It may happen that way! Than you so much for the idea** **J**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello Everyone! I am so excited from all the reviews I'm getting. You guys show me so much love for such a new story and I am so thankful. Please keep leaving me what you think. I truly do take everything you say into consideration. I met my goal for how many review I wanted! I am so blesses and excited! My goal for this chapter is to reach 240. I know that's a little steep, but I have a prize for everyone who reviews! I am going to PM you to potential plot points for the end of this story! They are HUGE and I do need help deciding. So please review and I will send that information your way! Thank you all again.**

The drive went by quickly, DC's scenery was flying past them in a blur. Mina couldn't help but admire James as his cold blue eyes stared at the road ahead. The plaid shirt looked very good on him, especially accompanied by the slight stubble on his chin. She had picked well. She found herself wanting to reach across the seat and run her knuckles down his cheek. Mina knew that probably wasn't allowed. He would look at her like she had three heads and probably stop her advancement before she even got close to touching him.

Was he truly so traumatized by HYDRA he couldn't stand her touch? She had never done anything to hurt him. When they were kept in the same room he didn't seem to mind as much when she would curl up close to him or try to hug him. Now he just rebuffed any time of affection she wanted to show him. Did she do something wrong? Maybe she was just being paranoid. It had only been a few hours. She was overthinking his distance. He must just be concentrating on getting them to safety.

Mina tried to think happier thoughts. She turned her attention down to her lap. _Her dress._ She thought she was going to melt into a puddle when he had complimented what she was wearing.

Well he tried to compliment her. It wasn't exactly overly charming, but for him to speak at all was a rarity. He used one of the few times he decided to speak to say he liked something she was wearing. She was biting her lip, remembering his words fondly. Toying with the soft fabric of her dress, trying to keep herself distracted from the reality of their situation.

She was torn from her thoughts when James arm shot across the seats, to grip the wrist that was playing with the hem of her dress. When she looked up at him surprised, he looked irritated, eying her like a child who had been caught doing something wrong. His distaste was clear. He didn't like her fiddling.

She wanted to laugh out loud.

So The Winter Soldier doesn't like fidgeting. A trained assassin was thrown off by her nervous ticks. Mina knew she should be taking the situation more seriously. Her nervous habits were probably putting him more on edge than he already was.

Maybe what they both needed was a distraction. A question from earlier resurfaced in her head.

"So if we aren't related why do we have the same last name?" Mina asked curiously. It was a good question after all. Mina couldn't describe her relief when James had revealed they were not in fact related. The notion came to her mind quickly, and thankfully, left just as quickly. She looked over at him to see his jaw was clenched, a tick forming in his jaw. So he had no intention of responding to that question.

Maybe she could deduce something on her own. Something more specific. They weren't related. What other reasons to people share last names? She couldn't have been adopted by him or his parents, he was nearly a hundred years old. That didn't feel right either. Something inside told Mina that it wasn't correct.

Could they be… That would explain the feelings she had for him.

"Are we married?" She asked. Mina prayed she didn't sound as hopeful as she felt.

"No." He answered. This time he didn't sound outright disgusted. He responded quickly, but he didn't look horrified like when she had asked him if they were related. That's a good sign. She couldn't help but feel… sad at the realization.

But if they weren't related and they weren't married, what sense did it make for them to have the same last name? It didn't make any. HYDRA never called James by his name. Only ever Soldier, The Asset, or something along those lines. She was only ever referred to as "the girl" or something similar to that.

"Then why?" She asked out loud.

"Because." James was gritting his teeth, his grip on the steering wheel becoming noticeably tighter. She just wanted things to make sense. Mina wanted to know why things were the way they are. But she couldn't remember. And James never gave her answers.

"Because why?" She insisted.

"Mina." He ground out, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Please tell me." She said, her voice cracking at the end. The desperation she felt was seeping through. She needed something to go off of. Her head hurt anytime she thought of anything having to do with her past. She could tell her quiet flee had moved him a little because he had sagged his shoulders in defeat.

He looked like he was torn. He didn't want to tell her.

"It's the name I gave you." He said. His voice was still ruff and gravely, like he was reluctant to share the information.

But he named her? That wasn't what she had expected, but she supposed it made some sense. But the response to this question opened up the flood gates to so many more.

"You gave me a name?" She asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

"Yes." He replied impatiently. She could tell he was trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible. "They told me to give you a name and I gave you mine."

That was unexpected.

"Why did you give me yours?" She persisted.

"Enough questions." He snapped at her. She knew that this conversation was over by the way his irritation was rolling off him in waves. She didn't want to push him too much. She knew that his anger wasn't something to be trifled with and he would most likely just yell at her if she kept probing him. James was surprisingly patient, ignoring her babbling most times, but when she asked questions about the past… He would change completely.

He would tense up, like everything she said angered him. He would become short and snappy with her. It was just confusing. Mina didn't understand how he could snap so quickly back and forth between personalities.

Mina was pulled from her thoughts when the car stopped.

They were at the docks.

James got out of the car quickly, shooting her a glance that told her to stay put. She could see him tucking a gun into the waistband of his jeans before stalking off towards a cargo ship. Mina knew that they weren't out of the fire yet. HYDRA was most likely in hot pursuit of them.

James was their best and most deadly assassin, she was sure that they would be trying to hunt him down. That is probably one of the things that has him so tense. They could both be sniped through the window at any given second or blow into bits. She couldn't help but feel nervous, like something was missing, with him even a hundred feet away from her. She could still see him, but she didn't like that she couldn't reach out to touch him anymore.

James had stopped in front of a man, he looked like he was in charge of the ship. They looked like they were making a deal because before long they were shaking hands and James was heading back to the truck.

Before she could react, he had opened the door and unbuckled her seat belt. She barely had enough time to brace her hands on his shoulders before he had lifted her by the waist out of the car. Mina wasn't sure if he was being attentive or if he really just needed to be in control of everything. She let him flit around either way. He moved so fast she could barely keep track of him, grabbing their bags and her wrist within moments of her being set on her feet.

They were heading towards what looked like a cargo ship.

James led her past the man that she had watched him speak to. He was watching them with beady eyes. Mina had a bad feeling about him. She didn't like the way the man's eyes were glued to her legs. He leered at her, causing her to lean further into James. She didn't think anyone would bother her if they knew that James would be around to protect her.

They walked up the ramp quickly and onto the deck of the ship. Mina could see the sun rising on the horizon. It was beautiful. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen the run rise. Or the sun in general. She had been trapped below ground with HYDRA for who knows how long.

"Where are we going?" She asked, walking to the railing. She looked down at the water. It was nearly black because of how dark it still was outside.

"It doesn't matter where we're going." He mumbled from behind her.

"Touchy." She said sarcastically, turning her attention back to Washington D.C.

She was sure they were looking for them. HYDRA wasn't an organization to give something up so easily. Mina was surprised that there escape had gone so smoothly. She was sure that they would have hit at least one speed bump by now. But luck seemed to be on their side. They were going to get away.

James and Mina were never going back to HYDRA. She knew that they would probably have to run for months, if not years before they stopped looking for them. She was sure James knew this better than anyone. They would send him after someone they couldn't find.

"They're going to follow us, aren't they?" She whispered.

"They're going to try." He said, leaning on the railing next to her. There was a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He was trying to be funny? James was making a joke. Or at least she thought he was trying to. Well that's good, she supposed.

She was admiring the sunrise, when she heard someone walking behind her. Likely one of the crew members. Mina kept her eyes focused on the horizon, trying not to draw their attention. If they all were anything like the first one she would spend the entire voyage trying to avoid them. She wasn't paying attention, but James was. He had tensed up significantly. He barked something angry in Russian that had the man scurrying away.

"How did you convince them to take us anyway?" She asked nonchalantly.

"Russians don't ask a lot of questions when you offer them money." He said scoffing.

They had just escaped HYDRA. They didn't leave with any money.

"Where did you get money from?" She asked confused.

He ignored her.

"Did you kill someone for it?" She asked.

"No Mina, I didn't kill any one for it." He growled, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"Don't look at me like that!" She exclaimed. "You are in a certain line of work, therefor I would assume…."

He shot her another look, cutting off her babbling.

"Alright, Alright." She sighed. She did jump to conclusions. "I just don't want us to live the rest of our lives the way they intended us to. They wanted to make you a miserable murderer. I don't even want to know what they wanted with me. This is our second chance. I want to make sure we use it."

His eyebrows furrowed at her words, like he was confused about something. He turned from the horizon, likely searching for a crew member to tell them where they would be staying. She knew that he would be paying close attention to their surroundings, so she would be safe remaining where she was.

She stepped up onto the railing so she could get a better look. She balanced on her toes, curling her fists tightly around the railing. She could feel the waves crashing against the side causing water to spray gently on her face. It was peaceful. The sunrise represented a new day, and perhaps a new life.

Looking at the sunrise gave Mina hope. Hope that she and James will be able to outrun HYDRA. That they will be able to find somewhere they can settle down, maybe be normal. There was some place out there that HYDRA would look over and they would be lost to them forever. She hoped to find somewhere that they can both heal.

HYDRA had inflicted many mental wounds on James. She could see the haunted look in his eye, how he struggled to keep it together every second of every day. She hoped wherever they went, that it would be peaceful and far away from anyone wishing to use him again.

"Get down." She heard a rough voice snap from behind her.

She didn't have to turn around to know it was James. She smiled to herself. He didn't realize it, but he was truly an over protective fool. But it showed that he cared.

"The ocean is beautiful." She said, still not moving.

"What?" He asked, as if the notion was completely foreign to him. He had quickly gripped her waist and pulled her back down onto the deck. He looked at the dreamy look in her eyes with something near disgust.

"You're strange." He mumbled.

"I could stare at it all day." She sighed.

" _You_ are going to be in the bunk." He said, conviction lacing his tone.

"Oh." She said, tilting her head to the side mocking him slightly. "And what will _you_ be doing?"

"Doesn't matter." He said, gripping her wrist and pulling her towards a set of stairs.

"You're impossible." She grumbled.

 **Shout outs!**

 **marina2351: Welcome to my story! I'm so glad that you have liked it so far. Please let me know if you have any ideas or fluffy moments you want to see between the two of them.**

 **Melinda1300: I'm so glad that my story suites what you like! Please keep reading and tell me what you think! Is there anything you want to see in the future? Thank you so much for reviewing, I appreciate it so much, even if it is just to say "I Love your story!"**

 **ObsidianPhantom: Thank you so much for leaving such detailed reviews! They make me so happy to read and see that someone is so invested in reading what I have to write! I've corrected the mistakes that you've pointed out! Please continue reading and suggesting!**

 **GetLegsBish-Aiya: Thank you so much for reviewing! I think that his old fashioned side if going to come out for sure. He's going to want to make sure everything is done properly. I'm not sure where its going to lead yet, but we'll see!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello Everyone! I am so excited from all the reviews I'm getting. You guys show me so much love for such a new story and I am so thankful. Please keep leaving me what you think. I truly do take everything you say into consideration. I met my goal for how many review I wanted! I am so blesses and excited! My goal for this chapter is to reach 245. I know that's a little steep, but I have a prize for everyone who reviews!**

 **I know a lot of you don't want to know what happens to please let me know in your review if you want the prize:**

 **I am going to PM you to potential plot points for the end of this story! They are HUGE and I do need help deciding. So please review and I will send that information your way! Thank you all again.**

 **PS: I started another Bucky/OC story. Please read and let me know what you think!**

James POV

James didn't trust the Russians. Not one bit. They are the ones who had originally given him his arm, taken his memories. But that was a story for another time. Revenge could be taken another day.

The Russians were the best and quickest way out of Washington D.C. They would be the easiest to bribe, the least likely to be searched. They would also be the least likely to notice if a ship goes missing if it came down to that, so that was a plus. James was trying to keep a low profile. He knew that was going to be more difficult now. He had no issues keeping missions quiet before. But he had been on his own then.

He had her to think about now. Marina was beautiful and young. She wasn't used to being on the run or having to go without a meal. He could go for days without stopping, but forgot that she couldn't go more than a couple hours.

But he had been impressed with her. She hadn't complained. Not once. James had tried his best to be attentive, but even he couldn't help but forget once in a while. But it wasn't her inexperience that was the problem. It was very difficult to keep these Russian men's attention away from her. It was even more difficult to hide her because of her red hair. He had seen how they stared at her.

James just hoped their fear of him would be enough to keep them away.

The ship was going to dock in Spain in less than a week.

He didn't think that they would have any problem leaving the United States. The Americans only really cared who was entering the country, not who was trying to escape it. At this point, he didn't fear getting caught. He could see the east coast fading into the distance. It was the Russians he was afraid of.

If someone with more money were to come a long, they would sell him and Marina out in a second. HYDRA would only need to snap their fingers and the Russians would hand them back over.

No one had caught up to them yet. They had the advantage of a head start. He had no doubt that HYDRA had tracked their movements to the grocery store they had stolen from. It was only a matter of time before they figured out they had taken the first ship out of the country.

He had been very particular about keeping his arm covered. The Russians had big mouths and no loyalties.

If it really came down to it, James knew he would be able to take them, but it would defeat the entire purpose of a low profile. HYDRA would know where they were within hours.

HYDRA wasn't the only fear on James mind. The Russians on this ship were still men. He could tell how depraved and weak they were by how they salivated at the sight of Marina. This boat was full of violent, immoral men who had been away from a women far too long.

 _There was always the possibility that-_

James shuddered. He wouldn't think those words. It made him… He couldn't even describe the white hot fury that bubbled up inside of him.

He clenched his fists. Maybe he _should_ kill them all. People are vile as them didn't deserve to even look at her. He could end the problem before it even began. They would never even have the opportunity to lay a hand on her. Maybe the burning feeling in the pit of his stomach would go away if there wasn't another man in a hundred mile radius of her. Only him. He didn't like sharing her. Even the sight of her.

He felt the metal he had been gripping snap within his gloved metal hand. He could easily kill every person on this god forsaken boat. It would be easy. Nothing that he hasn't done before.

But he didn't want to be a monster. Not anymore. He didn't have to kill anyone.

He knew that should only be a last resort option. He could sail this boat to Spain by himself but he really didn't want to do that. Marina had a knack for leaning over the railing, so far that James palms began to sweat just watching her. If he had to jump in after her, it would be much easier with someone else captaining this ship.

Her stubbornness reminded him that she was still in there. And boy was she hard headed. He had snapped at her to get down off the railing at least twelve times, even physically removing her once. But it didn't stop her from stepping up each time. He had to lock her in the cabin to get a moments peace of mind.

He flinched remembering the fury in her eyes.

He really hoped she had worn herself out and wasn't going to yell at him some more when he came back. It was getting wildly irritating constantly having to keep track of her, she didn't understand that they weren't safe. Not yet. But he found it strangely endearing that she tested his patience. For a man that had so much self-control for so long, he was somewhat amazed at how easily he lost that around her.

He had already spoke with the Captain, telling them that they would not bother anyone so long as no one bothered them. James also made it crystal clear what would happen if he found anyone near the girl.

Mina POV.

He had left her in here what felt like hours ago.

She wish she could say that she wasn't afraid. That she could go more than an hour without needing him near her. But she couldn't. She wished for his presence. She would even be happy with him grumbling something that was borderline rude if that meant she could hear his voice.

Mina never realized how dependent she was on him, until he wasn't near her anymore.

It didn't help that she was in an unfamiliar place, going somewhere that was even stranger to her.

The space she was in was tiny, with no furniture besides the bed. Mina had drawn her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and burying her face in her knees. She wished that the rocking was soothing, but it only made the beginnings of motion sickness rise in her stomach. Her current living situation didn't help her stomach or her fear at all.

Because the place was so tiny, so the rocking of the boat seemed horrendous. There was one tiny window set into the ships side, but even then she had a hard time focusing on the horizon. The room smelt like fish, which was doing nothing to help her stomach. She knew that she shouldn't expect anything else.

She just wanted this feeling in her stomach to stop. She had found a small bucket in the corner when she first came in and thank goodness she had thought ahead. Mina didn't think she would be able to move off the bed she felt so sick. The ship was moving at a steady pace, but that did nothing to distract from the terrible rocking of the ocean.

She had tried everything at this point to quell her nausea. Taking deep breaths, laying on her stomach, putting pressure behind her ears. None of it worked. Mina had laid on the cool floor, which helped for a few moments. It cooled her skin, made her feel somewhat steadier. She could tell that it wasn't going to be a permanent solution. She could feel her cold sweat getting worse.

She heaved into the bucket for what felt like forever. She thought that relief would come after vomiting the first time, but she was wrong. Mina had nothing in her stomach left to expel beside acid. She had puked until all that was coming out of her was water.

She guessed the one positive part about his absence was that James wasn't here to witness it.

Mina knew that all this vomiting couldn't be good for her. She had barely eaten or drank anything since they got on this boat. She had probably just expelled the last of the liquid keeping her hydrated. Her suspicions seemed to confirm themselves when she felt steady pounding at the base of her skull.

"Of course." She muttered, before slipping into unconsciousness.

James POV.

After spending a few more hours on the deck observing the men and picking out their weaknesses, he had begun his decent into their cabin. He had just needed a little time to himself, to gather his thoughts and think of a solution to any possible problem they could come across.

James had mentally prepared for her to scream at him. He had left her alone too long. He hadn't even realized it. She was probably going to demand that he take her to the deck so she could look at the tide or the sun.

What he expected, wasn't what he found.

When James opened the door, his first instinct was to panic. Mina wasn't in the bed where he had deposited her. But after a quick scan of the room, he had seen her on the floor with a bucket not far away.

Sea sick. He should have thought of this to.

He sighed, kneeling beside her. She was sweating, her hair was sticking to her face because of it. He gently pushed a few strands away and gasped. She was burning up.

"Mina?" He questioned gently. He was an idiot. But she responded almost immediately, eyes blinking wearily. James could tell that she needed more sleep, but not before getting some nourishment.

"Ugh." She grumbled, throwing her arm over her eyes.

"Mina." He sighed in relief. He allowed his position to relax, sliding all the way down onto the floor next to her.

"I puked." She mumbled out incoherently.

She was fine. James was overthinking. But he found her statement to be amusing. She innocently informed him of getting sick, in a voice that sounded guilty. S

"I see that." He chuckled.

"Now he laughs." James could hear the smile in her voice.

"This is my fault." He sighed, bringing her head into his lap. "I should have been paying more attention to you."

"S'fine." She whispered, gripping the edge of his shirt lightly.

"You need more water." He sighed. He supported her neck, while she sipped from the cup he presented to her.

"Okay, Jimmy."

He froze.

She had said it with a delirious smile plastered on her face. She couldn't remember he nickname she had given him inside the HYDRA base. She was delirious. He was overthinking things.

 **Guest: Thank you for reviewing! I get so excited when people ask questions! As of right now they are heading to Spain. Will they actually make it there? We'll see lol. I plan on keeping this to the Captain America Civil War timeline. I have a very particular vision of what I want to happen there! Thank you so much! Ask if you have any other questions!**

 **LivBalor99: Thank you so much for your kind words. I really appreciate it! I think that she is going to get small flashes. It wouldn't make sense for it to all come rushing back to her suddenly. I think that eventually she'll put it together, but she won't have everything right away.**

 **Timikpaki: Thank you so much for your kind words! I really tried to make his transition realistic. It wouldn't make sense for him to be able to adapt to society so quickly. Its going to be a slow process, one that Marina will play a large part in! Unfortunately, she will most likely be found by the Avengers. Eventually! But I have a plan to mix it up!**

 **elaine1606: I am so honored! I am glad that I was able to be your first review! It makes me so happy seeing that my story positively influences your life. Your English is perfectly fine! I hope that you keep reviewing! I look forward to hearing your ideas.**

 **marina2351: Thank you so much for all of your kind words! I am so glad that you like this story so much. Writing is something that I enjoy, so I do hope to someday become an author! I look forward to seeing what you have to say in the future.**


	21. Chapter 21

Hi everyone! I Wanted to let you know that I have not given up on the story. I just need more inspiration to continue writing it. I have had a serious case of a writers block. Please review and message me any ideas that you have that you think could add something interesting to do a cool addition t the story. Where do you guys see the story going? What do you think needs to be improved? What do you think has been done well? Please give me this feedback and I will continue writing the story! I'm very happy to see that so mamy people are interested in it. I am so thankful for that.


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